Covering for architectural features, related systems, and methods of manufacture

ABSTRACT

A covering for an architectural feature having generally horizontal vane elements coupled to and located between generally front and rear generally vertical support members, which in preferred embodiments are adjustable to control the amount of light transmitted through the covering. In one embodiment the covering has three dimensional multi-layered, cellular vanes, and in another embodiment, the one or more support members are formed of a dark color, and the rear support member(s) may be formed of material that is darker than the front support member(s), or vise versa. In another embodiment, the support members, e.g., sheers, have an openness factor, preferably as low as about sixty-five percent (65%) to as large as about ninety percent (90%). Other embodiments include structure, assemblies and methods for controlling the closure of the covering as well as embodiments of bottom rail assemblies. Also provided is a method of manufacturing the covering.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.62/414,248, filed Oct. 28, 2016, and U.S. Provisional Application No.62/525,549, filed Jun. 27, 2017, each of which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to coverings for architectural features,which may include windows, doorways, archways and the like, and relatedsystems, and methods of operation and manufacture. More particularly,the present disclosure relates to panels and/or coverings forarchitectural features having generally horizontal flexible vaneelements coupled to one or more generally vertical support members,which provide light transmission and view-through controllingproperties.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Current coverings for architectural features include sheer shadings soldunder the brand name Silhouette® by Hunter Douglas, and as described inU.S. Pat. No. 5,313,999, which patent is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety, which typically use generally verticalfront and back sheets supporting generally horizontal substantiallyflexible vane elements. The vertical support sheets are generallyflexible sheer fabrics. The vertical support sheets together with thesubstantially horizontal flexible vanes form a flexible or softlight-controlling window covering or panel. The flexible nature of theSilhouette® permits it to be operated by rolling and unrolling theflexible light-controlling panel about a roller, and may be referred toas a roll-up type covering. Typically, the sheer panels are made frommaterials that are clear or dyed white or off-white, and given theirstrength and durability requirements, result in a muted, somewhat milkyview there through (“view-through”). The muted, milky view through isdesirable for softening the light being transmitted through thecovering, but in direct sun, full view through such sheer materials maybe somewhat restricted.

The vanes in Silhouette® are single-layered materials and fabrics, andin certain orientations, these single-layer vanes create shadows on oneanother. United States published patent application No. 2014/0138037,filed on Mar. 14, 2013 and entitled “Coverings for ArchitecturalOpenings with Coordinated Vane Sets”, hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety, discloses a flexible roll-up type windowcovering with dual-layered, generally horizontal vanes supported bygenerally vertical supporting members or sheets, which in certainpositions and orientations may soften or reduce the shadow on theroom-facing sheet.

It is desirable to have a light-controlling window panel with vanes thatsoften the transmitted light to a gentle glow, that provides betterroom-darkening attributes and view-through, and has a desirableaesthetic look.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure is directed to a person of ordinary skill in theart. The purpose and advantages of the architectural panel and coveringwill be set forth in, and be apparent from, the drawings, description,and claims that follow. The summary of the disclosure is given to aidunderstanding of the panel and covering, and not with an intent to limitthe disclosure or the invention. It should be understood that each ofthe various aspects and features of the disclosure may advantageously beused separately in some instances, or in combination with other aspectsand features of the disclosure in other instances. Accordingly, whilethe disclosure is presented in terms of embodiments, it should beappreciated that individual aspects of any embodiment can be utilizedseparately, or in combination with aspects and features of thatembodiment or any other embodiment. In accordance with the presentdisclosure, variations and modifications may be made to thearchitectural panel or covering to achieve different effects.

The present disclosure features a covering for architectural features,which may include windows, doorways, archways and the like, where thecovering may have a panel formed of generally horizontal vane elementscoupled to generally vertical support members which provides uniquedimensionality, richness, and versatility. The covering or panel may belight-controlling and is aesthetically appealing as well as practical.The panel has a height and a width and generally includes a generallyvertical front support element or member having a height and width, anda generally vertical rear support element or member having a height anda width, where the generally vertical rear support member is operablycoupled to the front support member. Additional generally verticalsupport members may be included in embodiments. In one embodiment, thefront and/or rear vertical support member may be substantially planarand flat, preferably with no folds or creases formed therein, and therear vertical support member may be substantially parallel to the frontvertical support member. The panel may further include a plurality ofgenerally horizontal vane elements extending between, and which may becoupled, directly or indirectly, to the front and rear vertical supportmembers, and in one embodiment both the front and rear vertical supportmembers may control the movement and angular orientation of the vaneelements, and may be laterally moveable with respect to each other. Theplurality of moveable, generally horizontally extending vane elementsmay be manipulated and controlled by the vertical support members tocontrol the amount of light inhibited, blocked, or transmitted by orthrough the panel.

In one embodiment, the height and width of at least one, and preferablyboth, of the front and rear vertical support members is substantiallythe same as the height and width of the panel. Alternatively, oradditionally, the plurality of horizontally extending vane elements havea length extending in the same direction as the width of the front andrear vertical support members, and the length of at least one, andpreferably all, of the vane elements is substantially the same as thewidth of at least one, preferably all, of the vertical support members.In alternative embodiments, the support members may be elongated stripsor tapes and the length of one or more vane elements may be greaterthan, preferably substantially greater than, the width of at least oneof the vertical support members, the combined widths of the frontvertical support members, and all of the combined widths of the rearvertical support members. The vane elements may be formed of any type ofmaterial, including in preferred embodiments at least one of the groupof materials consisting of translucent, semi-opaque, and opaquematerials and combinations thereof. The plurality of generallyhorizontally extending vane elements, and the front and rear verticalsupport members may be made from flexible materials to form a flexiblepanel, and in one embodiment the vane elements and support members maybe formed of, for example, fabrics or films, including woven, non-woven,or knits. One or more, and in some embodiments all, of the vane elementsare non-cellular vanes. Alternatively, or additionally, one or more, andin some embodiments all, of the vane elements may be multi-layeredcellular vanes that may form a cavity, preferably a tube having ahorizontally extending cavity, preferably a cavity that expands inresponse to the vertical support members being laterally separated.

The vertical support elements may be formed of any type of material,including, but not limited to fabrics, films, and the like, and in oneembodiment are preferably formed of materials that have openings thatpermit visibility and light to pass there through. In one embodiment, ina flexible panel for an architectural opening, the front verticalsupport member may be a sheer and the rear vertical support member alsomay be a sheer. In one embodiment, the front and rear vertical supportmembers may be two different sheer materials. In yet another embodiment,the rear support sheer has an openness factor greater than the opennessfactor of the front vertical support sheer, or vice versa. In a furtherembodiment, one or more of the sheers may have an openness factor as lowas 60%, and as high as 90%, more preferably an openness factor greaterthan about 65%, more preferably one or more sheers may have an opennessfactor greater than 70%, greater than 75%, and more preferably greaterthan 80%, and may have an openness factor between about 80% to about90%.

In some embodiments, one or more of the vertical support members may bea dark color, for example, black, gray, or brown. In an embodiment, therear vertical support member may be a darker color than the othersheers, including the front sheer, or vice versa. Having verticalsupport members with high openness factors and dark colors may increaseview-through, and enhanced visibility of the vane elements may beachieved in certain embodiments. Having darker colors also mightincrease the strength and durability of the support members as thematerial forming the support members may be less susceptible to UVdegradation.

In an embodiment, the one or more vane elements may be a multi-layeredstructure having a top and bottom layer of material. The top and bottomlayers may be formed of a single, integral, continuous sheet of materialor multiple pieces of material. When extending between the front andrear generally vertical support members and operated as an architecturalcovering, the layers of the multi-layered vanes are moveable and mayseparate with respect to each other preferably to create cellular vanesthat have walls that form generally horizontal, expandable tubes thatcircumscribe a space with open ends forming a longitudinal cavity, andwhich may be collapsible to form a generally two-dimensional flat slat.The volume of the cavity may increase as the front and rear verticalsupport members laterally separate further from each other and thevolume of the cavity may decrease as the front and rear vertical supportmembers move closer together.

In one embodiment, the panel includes a plurality of multi-layeredvanes, each multi-layered vane having a flexible top layer and aflexible bottom layer. In one embodiment, the top and bottom layers maybe formed from a separate top strip of material and a separate bottomstrip of material. In yet another embodiment, the top layer of themulti-layered vane embodiment may have a different width than the bottomlayer, and in one example, the bottom layer is larger than the toplayer, or vice versa. In some embodiments, the vane elements may includea separate third layer, or more layers or strips, and in a furtherembodiment a third layer or strip may be a middle layer located betweenthe top and bottom strip, and that middle strip or layer may be formedof a room-darkening material which blocks light transmission.

In one embodiment the top and bottom layers or strips of materialforming the multi-layered vane may be coupled, preferably continuously,along the entire length of their edges in regions to form apexes andcoupled regions, where the coupled regions are preferably thin, ofnarrow width, and flexible, and may serve as a flex point or hinge whichmay permit the middle section of the top and bottom strips to separatemore easily from each other to form a three-dimensional cellular vane.In one embodiment, the coupled regions are of narrow width and may havea width that is about the thickness of the layers or less, andpreferably has a width as large as about 1.0 mm or less, more preferablybetween about 0.5 mm to about 0.1 mm, depending upon the thickness ofthe vane layers. In one embodiment, the material of the top and bottomlayers are fused in the coupled regions, and the coupled regions may beformed by welding, including, for example, ultrasonic welding orhot-knife welding. Each of the top and the bottom layers of the vane maybe thinner in an area immediately adjacent to the first coupled regionthan in other areas spaced farther from the coupled regions. Inembodiments at least one of the coupled regions may be formed by one ofthe group consisting of fusing the top and bottom layers together,adhesively bonding the top and bottom layers together, sewing the topand bottom layers together, and combinations of fusing, adhesivelybonding, and sewing the top and bottom layers together, or other meansof attaching or coupling, such as staples, pins and tacks.

In one embodiment, one or more multi-layered vanes may be formed of asingle piece of material that may be configured, manipulated, folded,perforated, creased, and/or heat-set one or more times to create a topand bottom layer. In this embodiment, the side edge of the top layer ofthe multi-layered vane may be integral and formed of the same continuoussheet of material as the side edge of its respective bottom layer, theside edges forming an apex and fold line by at least one of the groupconsisting of folding, perforating, creasing, compressing, andheat-setting, and combinations thereof. The other side edge may beformed by fusing, adhesively bonding, sewing, or other means of couplingor attaching.

In embodiments, the vanes are associated with and/or coupled to thevertical support members at connection locations, and at least one of afirst connection location (coupling one end of the vane) and the secondconnection location (coupling the other end of the vane) may be spacedfrom its respective, proximate first coupled region (or apex) by a firstoffset distance, and the other of the first and second locations may bespaced from its respective, proximate second coupled region (or apex) bya second offset distance. The offset distance between the firstconnection location and its respective proximate apex (or coupledregion) may be different or the same as the offset distance between thesecond connection location and its respective proximate apex (or coupledregion). In another aspect, at least one of the coupled regions (apexes)may be adjacent to one of the front or rear vertical support members,preferably the front vertical support member, and overlap with at leastone of the first and second connection locations so there is no offsetdistance between the connection location and the coupled region (apex).

In another embodiment, by adjusting the relative length of the front andrear vertical support members, particularly the distance between theconnection locations of the vanes to the front and rear vertical supportmembers, vane closure for the covering and/or panel may be tightenedand/or enhanced, particularly in a shading orientation, and the sequenceof vane closure may be controlled.

The above embodiments of the panel may further include bottom rails,rollers, head rails, and control mechanisms to form a covering for anarchitectural feature. In embodiments, the covering may further includea bottom rail operatively associated with the bottom end of the panel, amovement mechanism to operate the roller, and/or a head rail to mountthe roller. The covering in one embodiment may include a roller with thetop end of the panel operatively associated with the roller. In yetanother embodiment, a bottom rail may be associated with, preferablycoupled to at least one of the rear vertical support member, thebottom-most vane, and/or the front vertical support member preferablyalong a single region or line of the bottom rail which may furtherassist with vane closure.

Also disclosed is a method of forming a flexible panel, comprising (a)providing a top layer of material having a first and second side edgeand a bottom layer of material having a first and second side edge; (b)coupling a respective top layer and a respective bottom layer alongrespective first side edges to form a vane having a first coupledregion, wherein the first coupled region along the side edges has awidth of about 1.0 mm or less; (c) providing a front sheer and a rearsheer; and (d) extending, and preferably coupling, the vane between thefront sheer and the rear sheer to form the panel. The method may furtherinclude applying an adhesive to the vane, followed by coupling the vaneto the sheers.

These and other features and advantages of the covering will be apparentfrom the following detailed description, and the scope of the inventionshould not be limited by the disclosure of the embodiments in thesummary, but rather being set out in the appended claims where terms andphrases should be given their broadest interpretation unless indicatedotherwise. The summary of the disclosure is given to aid understanding,and is directed to one of ordinary skill in the art who shouldunderstand that each of the various aspects and features of thedisclosure may advantageously be used separately in some instances, orin combination with other aspects and features of the disclosure inother instances. Accordingly, while the disclosure is presented in termsof embodiments, it should be appreciated that individual aspects of anyembodiment can be utilized or claimed separately, or in combination withaspects and features of that embodiment or any other embodiment.

In addition, the present disclosure is set forth in various levels ofdetail in this application and no limitation as to the scope of theclaimed subject matter is intended by either the inclusion ornon-inclusion of elements, components, or the like in this summary. Incertain instances, details that are not necessary for an understandingof the disclosure or that render other details difficult to perceive mayhave been omitted. It should be understood that the claimed subjectmatter is not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments orarrangements illustrated herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The various aspects, features, and embodiments of the architecturalcovering as disclosed herein will be better understood when read inconjunction with the drawings provided. Embodiments are provided in thedrawings for the purposes of illustrating aspects, features and/orvarious embodiments of the architectural covering, but the claims shouldnot be limited to the precise arrangement, structures, subassemblies,features, embodiments, aspects, and devices shown, and the arrangements,structures, subassemblies, features, embodiments, aspects, and devicesshown may be used singularly or in combination with other arrangements,structures, subassemblies, features, embodiments, aspects, and devices.The drawings are not necessarily to scale and are not in any wayintended to limit the scope of the claims, but are merely presented toillustrate and describe various embodiments, aspects and features of thearchitectural covering to one of ordinary skill in the art.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of one embodiment of a covering for anarchitectural opening in the fully extended position with multi-layeredvanes in an open configuration forming cells with gaps or spacingbetween the cells.

FIG. 1B is a side view of the covering of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1C is a front view of the covering of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1D is a perspective view of the covering of FIG. 1A in the fullyextended position with the multi-layered vanes in a closed or collapsedconfiguration.

FIG. 1E is a perspective view of the covering of FIG. 1A in a retractedposition.

FIG. 2A is a side view of an embodiment of a covering showing lighttransmission.

FIG. 2B is a side view of the covering of FIG. 2A where the vanes are ina partially closed position.

FIG. 2C is a side view of the covering of FIG. 2A where the vanes are ina closed position.

FIG. 3A is a side view of a different embodiment of a covering for anarchitectural opening with multi-layered vanes in an open configuration.

FIG. 3B is a side view of the panel of FIG. 3A, as the vanes transitionfrom open to closed.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the construction ofa multi-layered vane element, prior to coupling to front and rearsupporting members.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation partial view of an embodiment of a coveringshowing multi-layered vane elements coupled to front and rear supportmembers forming cellular vanes.

FIG. 6A shows an ultrasonic cut-seal and welding process to form a vaneelement.

FIG. 6B shows an enlarged partial view of one embodiment of the apex ofa multi-layer vane element.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the apex of a multi-layered vaneelement.

FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the apex of a multi-layered vaneelement.

FIG. 9 is a perspective partial side view of an embodiment of a coveringshowing a schematic illustration of light diffusion through the cellularvane.

FIG. 10 shows an ultrasonic cut-seal and welding process to form athree-layered vane.

FIG. 11 shows a side elevation partial view of another embodiment of acovering having a cellular vane formed by adhesives, welding, andfolding, where the differences have been exaggerated for purposes ofillustration.

FIG. 12 is a side elevation partial view of another embodiment of acovering showing a cellular vane where the cellular vane is coupled toone vertical support member with an offset and coupled to the othervertical support with no offset.

FIG. 13 is a perspective side view of a different embodiment of anarchitectural covering with single layered non-cellular vanes.

FIG. 14 shows a side elevation partial view of an embodiment of acovering having a bottom rail coupled to a light-controlling panel alongone attachment location.

FIG. 15 shows a side partial elevation view of an embodiment of acovering having a different embodiment of a bottom rail coupled to alight-controlling panel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

In the following detailed description, numerous details are set forth inorder to provide an understanding of an architectural covering, itsmethod of operation, and method of manufacture. However, it will beunderstood by those skilled in the art that the different and numerousembodiments of the architectural covering, and its method of operationand manufacture may be practiced without these specific details, and theclaims and invention should not be limited to the embodiments,subassemblies, or the specified features or details specificallydescribed and shown herein. The description provided herein is directedto one of ordinary skill in the art and in circumstances, well-knownmethods, procedures, manufacturing techniques, components, andassemblies have not been described in detail so as not to obscure otheraspects, or features of the architectural covering.

Accordingly, it will be readily understood that the components, aspects,features, elements, and subassemblies of the embodiments, as generallydescribed and illustrated in the figures herein, can be arranged anddesigned in a variety of different configurations in addition to thedescribed embodiments. It is to be understood that the covering may beused with many additions, substitutions, or modifications of form,structure, arrangement, proportions, materials, and components which maybe particularly adapted to specific environments and operativerequirements without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention. The following descriptions are intended only by way ofexample, and simply illustrate certain selected embodiments of anarchitectural covering. For example, while the architectural covering isshown and described in examples with particular reference to its use asa window covering to control light and view-through, it should beunderstood that the covering will have other applications as well. Inaddition, while the detailed description in many examples is generallydirected to a covering formed of generally vertical supporting membersdescribed as sheets and particularly sheer sheets, it will beappreciated that the disclosure and teachings have application to othermaterials forming the vertical support members, such as, for example,tapes, strips, sheets, panels, and combinations thereof. Furthermore,while some embodiments and many examples disclose horizontal lightcontrolling elements, referred to herein as vanes or slats, includingthe use of multi-layered vanes which preferably form multi-layeredcellular vanes, it will be appreciated that the disclosure and teachinghave application to non-cellular and/or single layered horizontal lightcontrolling members. The claims appended hereto will set forth theclaimed invention and should be broadly construed to cover architecturalcoverings, unless otherwise clearly indicated to be more narrowlyconstrued to exclude embodiments, elements and/or features of thecovering and/or light-controlling panel.

Throughout the present application, reference numbers are used toindicate a generic element or feature of the covering. The samereference number may be used to indicate elements or features that arenot identical in form, shape, structure, etc., yet which provide similarfunctions or benefits. Additional reference characters (such as letters,primes, or superscripts, as opposed to numbers) may be used todifferentiate similar elements or features from one another. It shouldbe understood that for ease of description the disclosure does notalways refer to or list all the components of the covering, and that asingular reference to an element, member, or structure, e.g., a singularreference to a generally vertical support member, a horizontal vaneelement, or a strip or a vane, may be a reference to one or more suchelements, unless the context indicates otherwise.

In the following description of various embodiments of the architecturalcovering, it will be appreciated that all directional references (e.g.,proximal, distal, upper, lower, upward, downward, left, right, lateral,longitudinal, front, rear, back, top, bottom, above, below, vertical,horizontal, radial, axial, interior, exterior, clockwise, andcounterclockwise) are only used for identification purposes to aid thereader's understanding of the present disclosure unless indicatedotherwise in the claims, and do not create limitations, particularly asto the position, orientation, or use in this disclosure. Featuresdescribed with respect to one embodiment typically may be applied toanother embodiment, whether or not explicitly indicated.

Connection references (e.g., attached, coupled, connected, and joined)are to be construed broadly and may include intermediate members betweena collection of elements and relative movement between elements unlessotherwise indicated. As such, connection references do not necessarilyinfer that two elements are directly connected and in fixed relation toeach other. Identification references (e.g., primary, secondary, first,second, third, fourth, etc.) are not intended to connote importance orpriority, but are used to distinguish one feature from another. Thedrawings are for purposes of illustration only and the dimensions,positions, order and relative sizes reflected in the drawings may vary.

General Operation of the Covering

The present disclosure relates to coverings for architectural featureswhich include, for example, windows, door frames, archways, and thelike. The coverings are particularly useful for windows to provide anaesthetic look, and desirable shading and privacy. The coveringsgenerally comprise a flexible subassembly or panel that includes one ormore moveable generally horizontal vane elements extending betweengenerally vertical front and rear support members. The generallyhorizontal vane elements, also referred to as vanes or slats herein,preferably have a different light transmissivity or translucence thanthe generally vertical support members, and the vanes and supportmembers together control view-through and light transmission through thecovering. The shape and angular orientation of the vanes can becontrolled by moving the support members laterally and vertically withrespect to each other. In particular, the vane elements can be adjusted,for example, rotated or pivoted, between different angular orientationsfrom generally horizontal and substantially perpendicular to thevertical support members to vertical and substantially parallel to thevertical support members in order to provide and control light,view-through, shading effect and/or privacy to the room.

The generally vertical support members may be substantially parallel toeach other and may not have any fold lines, creases and the like. Thegenerally vertical support members may include, for example, sheets,panels, tapes, strips, or the like, and combinations of these elements.Each vertical support member may be formed of a single or multiplepiece(s) of material, and may be substantially flat and planer. Thevertical support members have a height (length), width and thickness,their thickness (generally perpendicular to their height and width) maybe relatively thin, and the vertical support members generally are madeof materials that are much thinner than their respective length (height)and/or width. The “height” of the vertical support members, alsoreferred to as the “length”, generally and typically corresponds to andis associated with the height or vertical dimension of the covering orpanel, while the width of the vertical support members generally andtypically corresponds to the width of the covering or panel, and thewidth of the architectural opening. The width of the vertical supportmembers may or may not extend the length of the vane elements. In oneembodiment the height and width of the front and/or rear verticalsupport member is substantially the same as the height and width of thepanel. For ease of reference and without intent to limit the disclosure,the vertical support members sometimes will be referred to in thedisclosure as sheets, and in one embodiment, the front and rear verticalsupport members are formed of sheets.

The vane elements may be formed from and include, for example, strips,tapes, panels, and the like. Each vane element may be formed of a singleor multiple piece(s) of material, e.g., strips, tapes or panels. Thevane elements may be single layered or multi-layered. Generally, but notnecessarily, the vane elements extend in the horizontal direction andhave a length that is larger than its width. The length of the vaneelements generally corresponds to the width of the covering. The vaneelements have a thickness (generally perpendicular to their length andwidth) and their thickness may be relatively thin, and generally aremade of materials that are much thinner than their respective lengthand/or width. For ease of reference, and without intent to limit thedisclosure, the vane elements sometimes will be referred to in thedisclosure as vanes or slats.

The front and rear generally vertical support members, and the vaneelements, may be substantially any type of material, and are preferablyformed from flexible materials, such as, but not limited to, textiles,fabrics, and films, including knits, wovens, non-wovens, and so on. Forease of reference, the subassembly or combination of sheets and vanessometimes will be referred to as a light-controlling panel, subassembly,or “panel” for short. In one exemplary embodiment, the generallyhorizontal vane elements are made from generally flexible, softmaterials, and the generally vertical support members are also made fromgenerally flexible, soft materials, and together form a generallyflexible subassembly or panel for the covering.

Additionally, the vertical support members and vanes may have varyinglight transmissivity properties, varying from blackout, opaque,partially opaque, translucent, transparent, or clear. In someembodiments, the supporting members may have higher light transmissivitycompared to the vane elements, so when the vanes are moved, e.g.,pivoted between open and closed positions, the light transmissivity ortranslucence in the covering may be varied. In one embodiment, the frontand rear supporting members are sheers and/or materials that permitlight to pass there through, and the vane elements are translucent,semi-opaque, opaque, and/or room-darkening materials or combinationsthereof.

Referring generally to the illustrative embodiments of FIGS. 1A-1E,FIGS. 2A-2C, and FIGS. 3A-3B, the covering 100 in one embodimentgenerally includes a headrail 102, a roller 126 associated with the headrail, a light-controlling panel 104, a bottom rail or weight 110, and amechanism 106 to operate the covering (e.g., a mechanism to rotate theroller) and control the amount, quality, and manner in which light isblocked or transmitted through the panel, as well as the aesthetic lookand appearance of the panel. In one embodiment, a head tube or roller126 supports and is connected to a top end 170 of panel 104, and bottomrail 110 is connected to a bottom end 175 of panel 104. In oneembodiment, the front and read vertical support members are coupleddirectly or indirectly to the roller, and preferably at differenthorizontally extending locations along the circumference of the rollerto provide lateral movement of the front and rear vertical supportmembers relative to each other. Head rail 102 may support the roller 126and the panel may be connected to roller 126 over an architecturalopening, and thus head rail 102 may generally correspond to the shapeand dimensions (e.g., width) of the top of the architectural opening.Panel 104 includes generally horizontal vanes 112 extending between agenerally vertical front support member 118 and a generally verticalrear support member 120. In one embodiment, the generally horizontalextending vanes 112 are coupled to generally vertical front supportmember or sheet 118 and coupled to generally vertical rear supportmember or sheet 120. Without limiting the application of the panel,front support member 118 may be a front sheer that faces the interior111 of the architectural opening and rear support member 120 may be arear sheer that faces the exterior 101 of the opening. Vanes 112 extendfrom and between, and may be coupled to, front and rear support members118, 120, and move between a first or open position where at least amiddle portion of the vanes are substantially horizontal and generallyorthogonal to the front and rear support members and a second or closedposition where at least a middle portion of the vanes are substantiallyvertical and generally parallel to the front and rear support members.In one embodiment, the generally vertical support members 118, 120 aresubstantially parallel to each other whether the vane elements are in anopen or closed position, and the generally vertical support members mayhave no fold lines, creases, or the like.

Covering 100 may include a mechanism 106 for controlling the retraction,and extension of light-controlling panel 104 to control the height ofthe covering in the opening and hence the nature and quality of thelight transmitted through, the view-through characteristics, and theshape and aesthetic nature of panel 104. The movement or controlmechanism may also control the angular orientation of horizontal vaneelements 112 with respect to support members 118, 120 which will alsoaffect the nature and quality of the light transmitted through, theview-through characteristics, and the shape and aesthetic appeal of thepanel 104. In the rollup-type window covering illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1Eand 3A-3B, the movement or control mechanism 106 preferably rotatesroller 126. In particular, movement mechanism 106 may rotate roller 126in order to retract, extend, or angularly orient vanes 112 oflight-controlling panel 104. The light-controlling panel may movebetween a fully retracted position where the panel is completely wrappedabout the roller, and a fully extended position where the panel iscompletely unwound from the roller and general extends in the openingwith the vertical support members generally parallel and adjacent toeach other with the vanes located between the support members andoriented substantially vertical and parallel to the vertical supportmembers (see FIG. 1B). In one example, movement mechanism 106 mayinclude a cord 108 for rotating the roller, and/or may include a pulley109, a direct drive arrangement, a gear train, and/or a clutchmechanism. The system or mechanism for controlling the rotation ofroller 126 may include an electric motor which may be controlledmanually by a user, or through a pre-programmed or programmable softwarecontrol unit, such as a remote control. Movement or control mechanismmay include any desired movement mechanism including those now known andmovement mechanisms developed in the future. In addition, while movementmechanisms discussed above are directed primarily to rotating a rolleror mechanisms for a roll-up type covering, it will be appreciated thatother arrangements and mechanisms now known or later developed, forexample, mechanisms for stacking and folding arrangements, and/orlifting of the bottom rail may instead be used to control movement ofthe panel 104.

For ease of reference purposes, when used, for example, as a windowcovering, the generally vertical support member 120 that faces theexterior 101 of the window opening is referred to as the rear supportmember or sheet, while the generally vertical support member 118 thatfaces the interior 111 of the window opening is referred to as frontsupport member or sheet 118. The vanes of the window covering may extendbetween the vertical support members in different manners so as toorient the vanes in different angular orientations or directions andconfigure them to operate or move in different directions andorientations to effect the amount of light transmitted through the paneland/or the visibility through the covering. In a first orientation,referred to as the shading orientation, the vane 112 extends from thefront support member 118 and is operable to extend between positionswhere the middle portion 159 of vanes 112 extend generally horizontaltoward rear support member 120 (shown in FIG. 1A) and/or extend fromfront support member 118 downwards towards rear support member 120(shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C). Generally, in a shading orientation, portion158 of the vane that extends from the rear support member is at the sameheight or lower than portion 113 of the vane proximate the front supportmember. As such, in the shading orientation, depending upon the angularorientation of vane elements 112, sunlight entering the covering throughrear support member 120 may encounter vane elements 112, which,depending upon the opacity of the vane material, may block or diffuselight that passes through rear support member 120.

In a second orientation, referred to as the privacy orientation, vane112 extends from rear support member 120 and is operable to extendbetween positions where the middle portion 159 of vanes 112 extendgenerally horizontal toward front support member 118 (shown in FIG. 3A)and/or extend from rear support member 120 downward towards front sheet118 (shown in FIG. 3B). Generally, in a privacy orientation portion 161of the vane that extends from the front support member is at the sameheight or lower than portion 163 of the vane proximate the rear supportmember. In the privacy orientation, a person under the window andlooking up may be blocked from viewing into the room due to vanes 112blocking their view-through. In this privacy orientation, sunlight 105entering through rear support member 120 from a light source 103 (thesun) is transmitted through gaps or spaces 124 between vanes 112 (shownin FIG. 2B).

The angular orientation and movement of vanes 112, in a roll-up typecovering having vanes 112 extending between and coupled to verticalsupport members, is effected by relative movement of the supportmembers. Front and rear support members 118, 120 may move vertically inunison as they are unrolled from roller 126 (FIG. 1E) to extend in thewindow opening. After the window covering is fully extended and unrolledfrom roller 126 (shown in FIG. 1D), further rotation of roller 126 movesfront support member 118 and/or rear support member 120 laterally orhorizontally away from each other, and further moves front and rearsupport members 118, 120 in relative vertically opposite directions(FIGS. 2B, 2C, 3B). This vertically opposite directional movement 107 offront and rear support members 118, 120 relative to each other pivots orrotates vanes 112 between the support members. The relative verticalmotion 107 of the support members can be any combination of verticalmotion by one or more of front support member 118 and back supportmember 120 relative to each other. The relative vertical motion 107 ofthe support members may include front support member 118 moving up ordown relative to the substantially stationary back support member 120;back support member 120 moving up or down relative to the substantiallyvertically stationary front support member 118; or front support member118 and back support member both moving vertically in oppositedirections relative to each other. This pivoting or rotational movementof vanes 112 controls the angular orientation of vanes 112 relative tofront and rear support members 118, 120, and, with other factors, theshape of vanes 112.

One skilled in the art can also appreciate that generally thelight-controlling and view-through characteristics including the angularorientation and relative movement of vanes 112 in a roll-up typecovering, may be affected by whether the support members extend from therear side 115 or front side 119 of the roller and/or the direction ofrotation of the roller. If the window covering rolls up and down fromfront side 119 of roller 126 as in FIGS. 2B and 2C, then when supportmembers 118, 120 are first retracted from a fully extended position,front support member 118 will be raised vertically upward as rearsupport member 120 lowers and moves laterally toward front supportmember 118 (see FIG. 2B). This relative movement of front and rearsupport members 118, 120 rotates or pivots vanes 112 to change theirangular orientation relative to front and rear support members 118, 120so that vanes 112 extend downward from front support member 118 towardrear support member 120 and are in a shading orientation as shown inFIGS. 2B and 2C. If the window shading, however, rolls up-and-down fromrear side 115 of the roller as shown in FIG. 3B, then when supportmembers 118, 120 are first retracted from a fully extended position,rear support member 120 will be raised vertically upward as frontsupport member 118 lowers and moves laterally towards rear supportmember 120. This movement of the front and rear support members rotatesor pivots the vanes to change their angular orientation relative to thefront and rear support members so that the vanes extend downward fromthe rear support member towards the front support member and are in theprivacy orientation as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. Accordingly, thedirection of roll-up about the roller or head tube, whether clockwise orcounter-clockwise and around the front side or rear side of the roller,may effect whether the covering operates in a shading or privacyorientation.

The Vane Elements

While portions of the disclosure describe multi-layered vanes that areassembled in a light-controlling panel to form cellular multi-layeredvanes during operation of the panel, it will be appreciated that thepanel may be formed of one or more, or entirely of single ormulti-layered non-cellular vanes as shown in FIG. 13. As shown in FIGS.1A-1B, 2A-2B and 3A-3B, some embodiments of the covering have twogenerally parallel, vertical support members or sheets 118, 120 and aplurality of multi-layered vanes 112 extending between the generallyvertical support members that form cells 122 that change volumedepending upon the position of generally vertical support members 118,120. The lateral and vertical movement of support members 118, 120controls the shape and angular orientation of multi-layered vanes 112.As a result, multi-layered vanes 112 change between a closed generallyflat multi-layered slab 130 (see FIGS. 1D and 2C) and an openthree-dimensional cellular vane 135 (see FIGS. 1A-1B, 2A and 3A).Depending upon the material(s) used in, and the manner in which panel104 is configured and constructed, cells 122 formed by multi-layeredvanes 112 may be opened and closed, and their volume changes, bymovement of sheets 118, 120, which also may vary the lighttransmissivity and view-through of panel 104.

When cells 122 are closed or substantially closed, each cell 122 may besubstantially compressed and the materials forming multi-layered vanes112 may be substantially parallel with each other and substantiallyparallel with each of the generally vertical support members or sheets118, 120 as shown in FIGS. 1B, 1D and 2C. In some embodiments, vanes 112may be adjacent to one another or partially overlap when in a closedposition where the cells have been compressed so that vanes 112 may forma pseudo-middle sheet 130 positioned between front and rear supportmember or sheets 118, 120 (see generally FIGS. 1D and 2C). When cells122 are compressed and closed, the vanes 112 are angularly oriented tobe substantially vertical, and depending upon their translucence andopacity, may substantially block view-through and light transmission. Insome embodiments, there may be a gap between adjacent vanes when theyare in a closed position such that light or visibility through the gapsbetween the adjacent vanes may be possible.

When vanes 112 are positioned so that cells 122 are open or at leastpartially open, the middle portion 159 of each vane 112 may be traverseto and generally substantially perpendicular (see FIGS. 1A-1B, 2B and3A) or angled (See FIGS. 2B and 3B) with respect to at least one ofsheets 118, 120. Multi-layered vanes 112 when open or partially openpreferably form walls that completely surround, circumscribe and enclosea space or cell 122 with open ends. That is, multi-layered vanes 112,when open, preferably form a horizontally extending tube that has wallsthat circumscribe entirely the space or cell 122, and may or may nothave open ends. Vanes 112 may be independently formed and separatelycoupled to support members or sheets 118, 120 adjacent and spaced fromeach other so that the vanes do not share a common wall or material withanother vane. The vanes may be coupled to one of the front or backsheets at a generally singular location or region and extends generallyaway from that sheet and may be coupled to the other of the front orback sheet at a generally singular location or region. Gaps or spaces125 may be formed between adjacent vanes 112 such that, for example, theadjacent cellular vanes are separated by a length of the front and rearvertical support members. Gaps 125 may provide view-through and permitlight transmission through the panel. In an open configuration, vanes112 form cells 122 that may provide insulation by trapping air in eachcell 122, as well as trapping air in gaps 125 formed by the front andrear supporting members and between adjacent sets of vanes 112.

Multi-layered cellular vanes 112 may reduce or diffuse shadows createdby the structure of covering 100 on one side from being as noticeable onthe other side of covering 100. In other words, shadow lines due tolight encountering structures of the covering or due to lightencountering articles (e.g., debris) on an outer side 101 of the panel,whether or not at a particular angle of incidence, may be reduced asviewed from an interior side 111 of the covering.

Because vanes in a shading orientation primarily have sun hitting themfrom the backside, transmitted, rather than reflected, light enters theroom. As shown in FIG. 9, one potential advantage of a multi-layeredcellular vane is light transmittance and diffusivity as the lighthitting exterior surface 137 of the top layer of vane material will bedispersed and transmitted in different directions in cavity 122 of vane112 and will be further dispersed or muted upon leaving the bottom layerof vane material. More specifically as shown in FIG. 9, with covering100 in a shading orientation, upper or top multi-layered vane 135partially blocks light from directly contacting lower cellular vane 135.As such, there is a sharp demarcation line 160 on top layer 114 of thelower cellular vane 135 between where light directly contacts lowercellular vane 135 and where light is blocked from directly contactinglower cellular vane 135. Yet no visible, sharp demarcation line is seenfrom the interior 111 on bottom layer 116 of lower cellular vane 135because of the diffusive nature of cellular vane 135. Instead, outersurface 140 of bottom layer 116 of cellular vane 135 is darker towardfront sheet 118 and becomes gradually lighter as bottom layer 116approaches rear sheet 120. With single-layer vanes formed of translucentmaterial, the transmission of light on an interior side 111 of the vanemay be quite harsh and distinct, often resulting in sharp demarcationlines between dark and light portions of the vane. But with a cellularvane, the multi-layers of material and cellular space between the layerswill soften the transmitted light to a gentle glow. Further, this gentleglow of transmitted light from a light-controlling panel withmulti-layered cellular vanes, particularly in the shading orientation,may highlight the texture of the vane much better than reflected lightdoes. In this manner, multi-layered vanes provide a smooth and soft lookthrough the front sheet facing the room in a shading orientation.

In one embodiment of the covering, one or more of vanes 112 may bemulti-layered and include a top layer of vane material 114, alsoreferred to as top strip 114, made of flexible material, and a bottomlayer of vane material 116, also referred to as bottom strip 116, madeof flexible material. In one embodiment, the multi-layered vane 112 maybe formed of separate top strips 114 and separate bottom strips 116,each having two side edges defining a width and two ends defining alength, which may be coupled and interconnected to each other alongtheir two respective side edges (and may remain uncoupled along the endsand/or in the middle region) to form a predominantly flattened tube ormulti-layered vane 112 that will be coupled to the vertical supportmembers. In a different embodiment, the multi-layered vanes may beformed of a single piece or sheet of material that may be folded,perforated, folded over, and creased, and/or folded over, creased, andheat set to form a fold line where the sheet is folded over to form atop strip or layer and a bottom strip or layer. The two side edges ofthe folded over sheet of material may be aligned, coupled, andinterconnected together along the two longitudinal edges (and may remainunconnected at the ends and/or in the middle region) to form a generallyhorizontally extending predominately flattened tube or multi-layeredvane 112 that may be coupled to the vertical support members.

More specifically, referring to FIG. 4, top strip or layer 114 ofmaterial includes a top, outside, or exterior surface 137; a bottom,inside, or interior surface 138; and a right side edge 162 and a leftside edge 164 defining a width “WTS”. Top strip 114 has a first end 182and a second end 184 defining a length “LTS”. Bottom strip or layer 116of material includes a top, inside, or interior surface 139; a bottom,outside, or exterior surface 140; and a right side edge 172 and a leftside edge 174 defining a width “WBS”. Bottom strip 116 has a first end192 and a second end 194 defining a length “LBS”. In the embodimentshown in FIG. 4, the width WTS of top strip/layer 114 is smaller thanthe width WBS of bottom strip/layer 116. Vane 112 may have top andbottom strips/layers 114, 116 that have equal widths or unequal widths,and in an alternative embodiment, width WTS of top strip/layer 114 maybe larger than width WBS of the bottom strip/layer 116. In theembodiment of FIG. 4, the length LTS of top strip/layer 114 is equal toor substantially the same as length LBS of bottom strip/layer 116, butin alternative embodiments the lengths of top and bottom strips/layers114, 116 may be different. In other embodiments, as explained below,more than two strips or layers may be used to form multi-layered vanes112 having more than two layers.

Multi-layered vanes 112 in one embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 4, maybe independently created by overlaying a separate top sheet, layer, orstrip 114 and a separate bottom sheet, layer, or strip 116, and couplingthe sheets, layers or strips 114, 116 preferably directly to each otherto form multi-layered vanes 112. Strips 114, 116 may be coupled alongtheir first side outer edges 162, 172 to form an apex 146 and alongtheir second side outer edges 164, 174 to form an apex 144. The strips114, 116 may be coupled along very small longitudinally extending areas132, 136, and may remain unconnected at the ends and in the middleportion of the strips. The very small longitudinally extendingattachment areas 132, 136 may provide favorable flexibilitycharacteristics to the joined side edges and apexes which may result inan aesthetic looking three-dimensional cellular vane 135 as described inmore detail below. Small attachment areas 132, 136 of the two layers mayform a weakened area, flexibility zone, or hinge 133 so the layers canreadily separate from each other. Favorable flexibility may result fromthe weakened area and/or hinge being formed.

Preferably, inside surfaces 138, 139 of top and bottom strips 114, 116are coupled to create very small attachment areas or regions 132, 136.Preferably, coupled regions 132, 136 are small, and hinge 133 forms ator approximate the same location as the coupled regions 132, 136. Asshown in FIG. 6B, the side view of coupled region 132 where side edges162, 172 are joined forms apex 146. Small coupled region 136 on theother side of vane 112 where side edges 164, 174 are joined forms apex144 as shown in FIG. 4. Given that coupled regions 132 and 136 aresmall, the respective apexes 146, 144 are located substantiallycoincident with or at coupled regions 132, 136. Coupled regions or zones132, 136 provide only a very small area where the layers are generallyparallel to each other, and preferably each region 132, 136 forms ahinge 133, which facilitates movement of two strips/layers 114, 116relative to each other (e.g., separation of the layers/strips) andopening of cavity 122, and affects the shape of cellular vane 135.Coupled regions 132, 136 preferably, but not necessarily, extendcontinuously the entire length of strips 114, 116 as shown in FIG. 4.

Coupled regions 132, 136 preferably each have a width “WAR” generally inthe direction of the width WTS of the top strip 114 and the width WBS ofthe bottom strip that is preferably less than the thickness “TTS,” “TBS”of the strips that form the vane. The widths “WAR” of the coupledregions 132, 136 in part will depend upon the thickness of the layers orstrips forming multi-layered vane 112, and in some embodiments the width“WAR” of coupled regions 132, 136 is generally less than 2 mm,preferably less than 1 mm. In embodiments of the panel 104, the widths“WAR” of the coupled regions may be as low as about 0.05 mm and as largeas about 2 mm or larger, and may vary therebetween in increments ofabout 0.1 mm. Non-limiting examples of the width of coupled regions 132,136 include about 1.0 mm, about 0.8 mm, about 0.6 mm, about 0.5 mm,about 0.4 mm, about 0.3 mm, about 0.2 mm, about 0.1 mm, about 0.08 mm,and about 0.06 mm. In exemplary embodiments, the width of the coupledregions may be as large as about 0.5 mm and as low as about 0.125 mm. Inother exemplary embodiments, the width of the coupled regions may be assmall as 0.1 mm and as large as 1.0 mm, and may vary therebetween inincrements of about 0.1 mm. The width of the coupled regions may varydepending upon the thickness and stiffness of the vane layers, as wellas the desired of flexibility requirements for the multi-layered vane.The small width of coupled regions 133, 136 provides flexibility at thetip or apex 146, 144 and preferably provides hinges 133 or flexibilityzones at the side edges or apexes which facilitates the relativemovement and easy separation of the strips or layers 114, 116 andformation of a cell 122.

Forming small coupled regions 132, 136 can be achieved using a number oftechniques. Some preferred techniques of forming the small coupledregions, and hinges 133 include fusing the materials together at thecoupled region and may include welding, for example, ultra-soniccut-welding or hot-knife welding/cutting. Using ultrasonic processes,two or more layers of materials 114, 116 are assembled and processed byoverlaying the materials, where their edges may (or may not) be roughlyaligned, and passing the layers between a vibrating horn 190 and arotary drum (often referred to as an anvil) 191 as shown in FIG. 6A. Thehigh frequency mechanical motion of the vibrating horn 190 and thecompressive force between horn 190 and rotary drum 191 create frictionalheat at the narrow region where horn 190 contacts vane materials 114,116. The heat melts and cuts the materials into strips 114, 116 as wellas welds and fuses respective first edges 162, 172 and respective secondedges 164, 174 of layered materials or strips 114, 116 together to formrespective apexes 146, 144. Excess trim 193 from the ultrasonic weld isremoved from strips or sheets 114, 116 forming vane 112 and may bescrapped.

The heat generated by the ultrasonic action between vibrating horn 190and rotating drum 191 occurs in a narrow region to form very narrowcoupled regions 132, 136 along the edges 162, 164 of top strips 114, andedges 172, 174 of bottom strips 116. In an exemplary embodiment, horn190 is 20 K ultrasonic and anvil 191 has a shallow angle 195 of as lowas about 140 degrees and as large as about 170 degrees (and may varytherebetween in increments of about five (5) degrees), and morepreferably about 150 degrees to about 160 degrees, which melts, welds,and seals the edges of the materials as it cuts. These parameters can beadjusted depending on factors such as the material and thickness of thestrips, the design of vanes, and the intended use of the panel. Actionof the ultrasonic cut-seal creates a very small bond area, e.g., a pointweld, where the materials of top and bottom strips 114, 116 melt andfuse together.

In addition, in the ultrasonic cut weld process, areas 165 and 166adjacent to coupled region 132 as shown in FIG. 6B may thin out or bethinner than and more flexible than the remaining body or width of vanelayers 114, 116. While not shown, the areas adjacent to coupled region136 may also be thinned out (thinner) and more flexible than theremaining body or width of strips 114, 116. Weakened areas 133 incombination with thinned regions 165, 166 formed by the ultrasonic weldprocess may form an even more flexible hinge 133.

A hot-knife will also melt, cut, weld, and fuse multi-layered strips114, 116 together along their side edges 162, 172 and 164, 174 and willcreate a weld and coupled regions 132, 136 similar to an ultrasoniccut/seal. In the hot-knife process a hot-knife melts, cuts, welds,fuses, and seals edges 162, 172, and 164, 174 of respective top andbottom strips 114, 116 to form multi-layered vane 112 as the hot-knifepasses through the multi-layered materials.

Both the ultrasonic cut-seal and hot-knife processes create a coupledregion between the layers/strips where the multi-layered materials maybe parallel for a small distance of about twenty thousandths of an inchand, as a result of the melting and flowing of the materials over ashort distance, the vane materials may separate at a point or smallregion at and/or immediately adjacent the tip or apex 144, 146, and thevane materials are flexible and form a hinge at the apex.

In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 7, multi-layered vanes 112 may beformed utilizing a single sheet or strip of material manipulated,configured, perforated and/or folded over, and optionally creased,perforated, compressed, and/or heat-set along one side edge to form twolayers (top layer 114 and bottom layer 116), a fold line 131, and apex146. The optional creasing, perforating, compressing, and/orheat-setting may form a preferential fold line 131. The remaining sideedges 164, 174 of top and bottom layers 114, 116 are coupled along smallattachment area 136 to form apex 144. The fold line 131 and coupledregion 136 provide favorable flexibility characteristics which mayresult in an aesthetic looking three dimensional cellular vane 135 asdescribed in more detail below. The fold line 131, whether formed byfolding, perforating, and optionally with creasing, perforating, and/orheat set processes, may form a hinge 133 so that the layers can easilyseparate from each other. In the embodiment where the multi-layered vaneis formed using a fold line 131, the apex 146 is located at orsubstantially coincident with the fold line 131. The coupled region 136may also form a weakened area, flexibility zone or hinge 133 so that thelayers can easily separate from each other. The coupled region may beformed utilizing the ultrasonic or hot-knife process described above.

In another embodiment of panel 104, coupled region 132′ may be formed byusing glue or adhesive 127 to bond top and bottom strips 114, 116 alongedges 162, 172 (shown in FIGS. 8, 11) and edges 164, 174 (shown in FIG.11) to provide a three-layer structure at the coupled region or jointthat includes top and bottom layers/strips 114, 116 and adhesive layer127. And so the coupled region 132′ tends to be thicker, and wider thancoupled region 132 created by the ultrasonic or the hot-knife weldingprocess, or the folding processes that form fold line 131. To achieve aproper bond with appropriate strength with the textiles appropriate forthe multi-layered vanes, the width “WAR” of adhesive 127 or the glueline between strips 114, 116 is generally not less than 1 mm and is morelikely about 1.5 mm to about 2 mm or larger depending upon the adhesiveand the textiles used for the vanes. In addition, while glue line oradhesive 127 is shown extending all the way to the outer tip of edges162, 172 in FIG. 8, the glue may not extend all the way to the tip orouter edge which tends to extend the width WAR of coupled region 133′and the region where top strip 114 and bottom strip 116 are held in aparallel relationship.

The multi-layer structured attachment using adhesive bonding of the topand bottom layers of the multi-layered vane tends to be more rigid andtends to restrict movement of strips 114, 116 more than coupling thevane materials using a welding or fusing processes, or using a foldingprocess. Adhesive bonding of the vanes tends to hold the two layers ofthe multi-layered vane in a parallel relationship longer than either afold line or fusing (e.g., welding) coupling or attachment process, sothat the coupled region tends to be wider and the two layers resistseparating more than when a fusing process is utilized. The more rigid,less flexible, longer (wider) coupled region also affects the shape thevanes form during operation of the panel. As shown in FIG. 11, the useof an adhesive 127 to couple top and bottom strips 114, 116 togetherwill create a cellular vane 135′ that has a cavity 122′, but the coupledregions have a larger width WAR and cavity 122′ tends to have a smallervolume and a different shape than the cavity created with smallercoupled regions 132, 136 created by fusing the materials together orcoupling the materials in a small coupled region that is generally lessthan about 1.5 mm and smaller (e.g., about 0.05 mm to about 1.0 mm).

As shown in FIG. 11, in another embodiment, multi-layered vane 135″ maybe formed by a fold line 131 forming apex 146 and small coupled region136 created by welding forming apex 144. Attachment or coupling of topand bottom strips 114, 116 in cellular vane 135″ may be formed usingultrasonic or hot-knife cut-welding. The cell/cavity 122″ formed using afold (and crease, perforation, and/or heat set) may form hinge 133″ andtends to create cavity 122″ that is larger and has a different shapethan the cavity created with coupled regions created only by welding oradhesive bonding. In other embodiments, the respective side edges of thetop and the bottom strips creating first side edge of the multi-layeredvane may be coupled using an adhesive process, while the otherrespective (second) side edges of the top and bottom strips of themulti-layered vane may be coupled using a welding process.

More layers may be created by manipulating, configuring, creasing,folding, and/or heat setting the vane material differently (in three orfour sections or more) and coupling along edges or folded regions toform a tubular structure that may be opened or compressed. Multi-layeredvanes may also be created and have the structure illustrated in U.S.Application No. 62/414,548, filed on Oct. 28, 2016 (the same date asthis application), and entitled “Covering for Architectural Features,and Related Methods of Operation, Manufacture and Systems”, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The individual widths “WTS” and “WBS” of top strip 114 and bottom strip116 between coupled regions 132, 136, the respective widths of top strip114 and bottom strip 116, and the nature and type of coupled regions132, 136, or use of a fold line 131, as well as other factors, willaffect the shape of the vanes, and the formation and shape of the cellcavity formed during operation of the panel 104 and movement of thesheets 118, 120. Specifically, the width WTS of top strip 114 preferablyis less than or the same as, the width WBS of its respective bottomstrip 116. FIG. 4 illustrates a multi-layered vane that has a top strip114 that has a width WTS between coupled regions 132, 136 that is lessthan the width WBS of the bottom strip 116 between coupled regions 132,136. In some embodiments, the top and bottom strips may be different inwidth by, for example, about 0.030 inches for an about four (4) inchwidth of material, or about 1% different. In some embodiments thedifference in width between top strip 114 and the bottom strip 116 maybe as low as about 0.5% and as high as about 3%, and may varytherebetween in increments of about 0.25%, although other amounts arecontemplated. For vanes of about three (3) inches to about four (4)inches, the difference in width between the top and bottom strips 114,116 may be as low as about 0.5 mm and as high as about 4.0 mm, and mayvary therebetween in increments of about 0.1 mm, although otherdifferences in respective widths between the top and bottom layer arecontemplated, depending upon the materials utilized and the desiredcharacteristics for the multi-layered vane. Bottom strip 116 being widerthan top strip 114 may facilitate the opening of and the shape of cell122, and may permit a larger volume cell 122 when multi-layered cellularvane 135 is in the open, expanded position.

Additionally, the difference in the width of the top and bottom stripsmay also assist in rolling up the fabric evenly around roller withoutcreating extra tucks of material that may result in wrinkles.Multi-layered vanes where the layers or strips 114, 116 have equalwidths between their coupled or folded edges 162, 172 and 164, 174 mayresult in potential creasing and wrinkling of the vane material whenbeing rolled around a roller because in order to lay flat against eachother when positioned around the roller, the outer strip has to be widerthan the inner strip. The outer layer or strip of multi-layered vane112, in order to trace the same circumferential arc as the inner layeror strip of multi-layered vane 112 and lay flat against the roller,generally should be wider than the inner layer or strip, otherwise theremay be stretching of the outer layer and/or tucks of extra fabric on theinner layer that may create wrinkles and potential imperfections invanes 112. Such effects may be minimized by providing a larger width forstrip 114, 116 that rolls around roller 126 as the outer layer ofmulti-layered vane 112, i.e., the outer strip. Typically, bottom stripor layer 116 will roll around the outside of the roller and is largerthan top strip 114 to minimize wrinkles and imperfections. The range ofthe difference in width for the outer layer or strip of multi-layer vane112 as compared to the inner layer or strip can be calculated based onthe thickness of the material used for the strips, the diameter of theroller, and the width of the vane.

Strips or sheets 114, 116 forming multi-layered vanes 112 may be createdfrom wide rolls of fabric that are pre-slit into strips of about 2.5inches to about 4.5 inches, and may vary therebetween in increments ofabout one quarter (¼) of an inch. Nonwoven fabrics may be used for themulti-layered vane layers, which may be thinner and cheaper than wovenfabrics. For example, non-woven fabrics, preferably polyester fabricshaving a thickness of about 0.005 inches may be utilized for the vanelayers. Woven fabrics may also be used, and the ultrasonic or hot-knifewelding (cut-seal) process will seal the edges of the fabrics to preventfraying. The fabrics for the vanes can be made from various and numerousmaterials depending upon the characteristics desired, and may include,for example, polyester, which provides suitable welding in ultrasonicand hot-knife applications.

Suitable materials and design patterns may be selected for the top andbottom strips to enhance the shading or privacy effect of themulti-layered vanes and create a desirable appearance. The materials fortop and bottom strips 114, 116 may be the same or different. Inaddition, the materials can have a desirable range of color and/oropacity. Bottom surfaces 138, 140 of one or both of top and bottomstrips 114, 116 can be printed in color or with a design. Or topsurfaces 137, 139 of one or both of the top and bottom strips can beprinted in color or with a design. In addition, one or both of the topand bottom strips may be printed on both surfaces (double printed). Ifthe strips are to be printed, they are preferably printed prior to theformation of the coupled regions along their edges.

In one embodiment the covering may be designed to substantially blocklight from being transmitted through the opening in a closedconfiguration, e.g., a room darkening version, by utilizingmulti-layered vane 112. For example, the strip 114, 116 that faces theexterior 101 or rear may be black or darker in color than the otherstrip. Rear facing strip 114, for example, may be a material thatsubstantially blocks any light from passing through the material and theother strip can be made from a translucent material. By utilizing amulti-layered vane having a black or dark strip (e.g. a layer or stripthat substantially blocks any light from passing through) facing therear and a translucent strip facing the front, any defects in the rearroom-darkening strip, or any light transmitted past the rear layer willbe diffused by the front facing layer. In the privacy orientation, thedarker (e.g., black) strip facing the rear is bottom strip 116. In theshading orientation, the darker (e.g., black) strip facing the rear isthe top strip of the multilayered vane. Alternatively, a material thatis very light diffusive can be used for the rear strip, preferablybottom strip 116, and a textured fabric may be preferred for the frontfacing strip, preferably top strip 114, or vice versa.

The vanes may also contain one or more additional layers besides top andbottom strips 114, 116. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, use of thirdstrip 129 positioned between top strip 114 and bottom strip 116 may forma middle layer in multi-layered vane 112′. The third or middle layer,and optionally additional layers, may be a film. Films or fabrics madefrom polyester may have enhanced bonding and/or welding with otherpolyester materials that may be utilized for the other strips formingthe multi-layered vane. The additional layers in a multi-layered vanemay provide better shading effect. In an illustrative embodiment, shownin FIG. 10, a first roll of fabric 167 of top strip 114, a second rollof fabric 168 of middle layer material 129, and a third roll 169 ofbottom strip 116 are each unrolled so that the top strip 114, middlelayer material 129 and bottom strip 116 are arranged as layers and fedto an ultrasonic welder or other coupling or attachment process to formmultilayer vane 112′. In particular versions, use of a third layer inmulti-layered vane 112′ may provide an improved room-darkening vane. Inone embodiment, the third layer 129 may form a middle layer andmaterials may be selected to provide room-darkening so that light isinhibited from passing through the multi-layered vane. Metalized filmssuch as DuPont #329 and Mylar may be used as the third middle layer 129to provide a room-darkening effect. All three layers preferably may bewelded (cut-sealed) at the same time, and coupled at their edges. In oneembodiment, the third layer is only coupled to the other layers at itsedges and it is free to separate between its edges from the other layersto form a cell, cavity, or spacing.

Static electricity buildup may affect separation of the vane layers andopening of the vane. This is especially an issue with thin sleek cells.Therefore, treatment of the vane materials with antistatic compounds,particularly on inner surfaces 138, 139 of layers/strips 114, 116 mayreduce this static effect and facilitate the opening of thelayers/strips to form cells 122. An antistatic material may also beincorporated into layers/strips 114, 116 by, for example, printing theantistatic material on a surface of the vane layers/strips.

Construction of the Panel

In panel 104, vanes 112 extend from vertical support members 118, 120and one embodiment may be coupled to vertical support members or supportmembers 118, 120 at connection locations 142 and 148 as shown in FIGS.5, 9, 11 and 12. In one embodiment, the multi-layered vanes areadhesively bonded to support members 118, 120 which are sheer fabrics.The manner in which the vanes are coupled to the support memberstypically affects the shape of and opening of cells 122 of multi-layeredvanes 112. In one embodiment, bottom strip 116 is coupled to frontsupport member 118 using adhesive at a first connection location 148 andtop strip 114 is coupled to rear support member 120 using adhesive at asecond connection location 142 (FIGS. 5, 9, 11, and 12). Each of firstconnection location 148 and second connection location 142 extends inthe width direction of front and rear support members 118, 120 andpreferably extends substantially continuously along the length of thevanes (i.e., the width of the panel and/or sheet). In one embodiment,glue or adhesive 143, preferably a polymer adhesive, is applied to vanes112, and vanes 112 are thereafter applied to support members 118, 120.More specifically, adhesive 143 preferably is applied in a line alongthe length of vane 112, preferably, but not necessarily, continuouslywithout interruption along the entire length of vanes 112. The widths ofconnection locations 148, 142 (in same direction as width of strips 114,116) may be as low as approximately 1 mm and as high as approximately 10mm or more. In one embodiment, the width of the connection locations maybe about 2 mm to about 3 mm. In one embodiment, the width of connectionlocations 148, 142 may be larger, at least four times larger, and morelikely ten times larger than the widths of coupled regions 132, 136. Inone embodiment, connection locations are glue lines which may be appliedto the vanes and/or the vertical support members.

In a multi-layered vane 112 as shown in FIG. 4, one or more glue lines142 may be applied to a top layer/strip 114 and one or more glue lines148 may be applied to a bottom layer/strip 116. First glue line 148 maybe applied to bottom or outer face 140 of bottom strip 116 and secondglue line 142 may be applied to top or outer face 137 of top strip 114.In a panel 104 that rolls up from the front 119 of the roller and isconfigured so vanes 112 are in a shading orientation, as illustrated inFIGS. 2A-2C and 5, bottom strip 116 with first glue line 148 is coupledto front sheet 118 while the top strip 114 with second glue line 142 iscoupled to rear sheet 120.

Connection locations 148, 142 in one embodiment are both spaced from oroffset a distance 145 from their respective proximate coupled regions132, 136 and/or apexes 146, 144 (FIG. 5), or only one of connectionlocations 148, 142 may be offset or spaced a distance from itsrespective proximate coupled region 132, 136 and or apex 146, 144, whilethe other connection location 148, 142 overlaps with its respectiveproximate coupled region 132, 136 and/or apex 144, 146 (see FIG. 12).For example, in FIG. 5 coupled region 132, apex 146, and connectionlocation 148 are proximate (e.g., within 1 cm of) front sheet 118 andcoupled region 132 and/or apex 146 are closer to connection location 148(e.g., glue line 148) then connection location 142, and for nomenclaturepurposes connection location 148 is considered proximate, corresponding,and respective to coupled region 132 and/or apex 146 and vice versa.Similarly, in FIG. 5 coupled region 136, apex 144 and connectionlocation 142 (e.g., glue line 142) are proximate (e.g., within 1 cm of)rear sheet 120 and coupled region 136 and/or apex 144 are closer toconnection location 142 then connection location 148 and fornomenclature purposes connection location 142 is considered proximate,corresponding and respective to coupled region 136 and/or apex 144, andvice versa.

Offset distance 145 between coupled regions 132, 136 or apexes 144, 146and the respective, proximate connection locations 148, 142 may affectthe openness of cell 122 in multi-layered cellular vane 135. Offsetdistance 145 facilitates the separation of top strip 114 and bottomstrip 116 and the formation of a three-dimensional cellular shape. Abigger offset distance 145 generally provides a fatter cell or cavity122, while a smaller offset distance 145 leads to a thinner cell orcavity 122. In general, offset distance 145, generally from an apexpoint 146, 144 (coupled region 132, 136) to a respective, proximateconnection location 148, 142, may range from zero, where there is nooffset, to as high as about 15% of the width of the respective top orbottom strip 114, 116. Non-limiting examples of offset distance 145 arefrom as low as about 1% to as high as about 15% of the width of the topor bottom strip 114, 116, which may be implemented, for example, inincrements of about 1%. In an exemplary embodiment, for a panel 104 withvanes ranging from as low as about 5 cm to as large as about 12 cm inwidth, offset distance 145 may be as little as about zero (no offset),and may be as large as about 1 cm or larger between connection locations(glue lines) 148, 142 and their respective proximate apex points 146,144 or coupled regions 132, 136, and may vary therebetween in incrementsof about half a millimeter. In one embodiment where an offset isdesired, offset distance 145 may range from about 5 mm to about 8 mm,more preferably about 6 mm to about 7 mm. Generally, where theconnection locations are offset from their respective, proximate apexand/or coupled region, the connection location may be within 1 cm orless of its respective apex and/or coupled region for a vane having awidth ranging from about 5 cm to about 12 cm.

In some embodiments, only one of the two connection locations (e.g.,glue lines) 148, 142 may be placed an offset distance 145 fromproximate, respective apexes 146, 144 of coupled regions 132, 136. Asshown in FIG. 12, coupled region 132 (and apex 146) may substantiallyoverlap and/or be immediately adjacent with connection location (e.g.,glue line) 148. This overlap of the coupled region with the connectionlocation can be advantageous on front sheet 118 of panel 104, because ajoint (e.g., a glue line) between the vanes and vertical support membersat the apex or edge of the multi-layered vane may look better than ajoint (e.g., glue line) a distance away from the apex. When one ofconnection locations 148, 142 overlaps with one of coupled regions 132,136, and one of coupled regions 132, 136 is offset from one ofconnection locations 148, 142, the multi-layered vane still tends toopen and create cavity 122 and forms nearly the same shape as amulti-layered vane coupled with offsets 145 along or proximate both ofthe front and back sheets. Multi-layered vane 112 still forms a cell orcavity 122 because the distance between first connection location 148 toapex 144 of bottom strip 116 adjacent back sheet 120 is nearly the samedistance as the distance between second connection location 142 and apex146 of top strip 114 adjacent front sheet 118, and to equalize forces,bottom strip 116 tends to follows a curve similar to top strip 114.

When front support member 118 is laterally spaced from rear supportmember 120, the resulting cellular vanes 135 preferably have a floatingappearance, and for example, an S-shape or a rectangular shape. Theshape of the multi-layered vane may depend on various factors including,for example, the individual width of top strip 114 and its respectivebottom strip 116, the respective widths of top and bottom strips 114,116, the distance 145 between coupled regions 132, 136 and itsrespective, proximate first or second connection locations 148, 142, thedistance separating front sheet 118 and rear sheet 120, the stiffness ofthe material for top and bottom strips 114, 116, and the flexibility andthe width of coupled regions 132, 136, or the type and location of foldline 131.

In one embodiment, for a panel 104 with an about 5 cm to about 12 cmmulti-layered vane width, first and second coupled regions 132, 136 havea width of about 1 mm or less, preferable about 0.5 mm to about 0.125mm; first and second connection locations 148, 142 have a width of about2 mm to about 8 mm; and second glue line 142 on top strip 114 is offseta distance 145 of about 5 mm to about 8 mm from second coupled region136 or apex 144 to form a hinge 133 at or about apex 144. First glueline location 148 on bottom strip 116 may have an offset distance ofabout 5 mm to about 8 mm, or more preferably overlaps with and hassubstantially no offset distance from first coupled region 132 or apex146 to form a hinge 133 at or about apex 146. In another embodiment, asillustrated in FIG. 11 where the multi-layered vane 135″ has a width ofabout 5 cm to about 12 cm and is formed having a preferential fold line131 forming an apex 146 and a small coupled region 136, the coupledregion 136 may be formed by welding and has a width of about 1 mm orless, preferable about 0.5 mm to about 0.125 mm; first and secondconnection locations 148, 142 have a width of about 2 mm to about 8 mm;and the second connection location 142 is offset a distance 145 of about5 mm to about 8 mm from apex 144 to form hinge 133. The first connectionlocation 148 may have an offset distance 145 of about 5 mm to about 8mm, or may overlap with and has substantially no offset distance fromfold line 131 or apex 146 to form a hinge 133′ at or about apex 146.

As described above, multi-layered vanes 112 in covering 100 areseparately created to form a collapsible and expandable tube. Themultilayered vanes are separately coupled (attachment locations 148,148′, 142, 142′) to the supporting sheets with space or gaps 125provided between the vanes as shown in FIG. 5. Each multi-layered vane112 may form a longitudinal tube or sleeve having continuous walls thatcircumscribe and form a cell or cavity 122 having a cross-sectionalshape with open ends. The cross-sectional shape may be rectangular,polygonal, double-S shaped or may have other cross-sectional shapes.

With reference to FIG. 5, which is a view of the multi-layered vanes 112in an open position, top strip 114 spans generally between front supportmember 118 and back support member 120, and bottom strip 116 spansgenerally between back support member 120 and front support member 118.More particularly, in the open position, in one embodiment themulti-layered vane entirely circumscribes a space or cell havingsidewalls 123, 124, top wall 176, and bottom wall 177. Side wall 124generally extends substantially vertically along and proximate to frontsupport member 118 between glue line location 148 and apex 146, whileside wall 123 generally extends substantially vertically along andproximate to rear support member 120 between glue line location 142 andapex 144. Top wall 176 runs generally horizontal between glue line 142and apex 146, while bottom wall 177 runs generally horizontal betweenglue line 148 and apex 144.

In one embodiment with the multi-layered vanes in the open position,each of top strip 114 and bottom strip 116 form a substantially sideward“S” shape. Tracing the shape of top strip 114 in FIG. 5, second coupledregion 136 is located adjacent to rear support member 120 and section153 or side wall 123 extends from apex 144 of second coupled region 136at hinge 133 upward generally parallel to vertically extending rearsupport member 120 to second glue line location 142 where top strip 114is coupled to inside surface 121 of rear support member 120. A portionof top strip 114 forms side wall 123, and at glue line 142 extends along(e.g., is substantially parallel to) rear support member 120 and insection 150 extends substantially vertically upward from glue line 142and thereafter bends and curves towards front support member 118, andthe curvature of top strip 114 continues as it extends away from rearsupport member 120 towards front support member 118. In this manner,section 150 of top strip 114 takes on the shape of the bottom portion ofthe letter “S”. Top strip 114 then changes direction at an inflectionregion 151 located between the front and back support members 118, 120and bends in section 152 upward towards coupled region 132 and apex 146which is located adjacent front support member 118. In this manner,section 152 of the top strip 114 takes on the shape of the top portionof the letter “S”.

Bottom strip 116 also forms a generally “S” shape curvature and issimilar in shape to top strip 114. More specifically, tracing the shapeof bottom strip 116, first coupled region 132 is located adjacent frontsupport member 118 and section 154 of bottom strip 116, or side wall124, extends from apex 146 of first coupled region 132 at hinge 133downward generally parallel to vertically extending front support member118 to first glue line location 148 where bottom strip 116 is coupled tothe inside surface of support member 118. A portion of bottom strip 116forms side wall 124, and at first glue line location 148 extends along(e.g., is substantially parallel) front support member 118 and extendssubstantially vertically downward from first glue line location 148 andthereafter bends and curves in section 155 from first support member 118towards back support member 120, the curvature of bottom strip 116continuing as it extends toward back support member 120. As bottom strip116 extends away from first glue line location 148 section 155 of bottomstrip 116 resembles the bottom half of an “S” shape as it starts to headupward. Bottom strip 116 then bends and changes direction at inflectionregion 156 located between the front and back support members 118, 120and bends downward in section 157 as it extends towards rear supportmember 120 where bottom strip 116 terminates at apex 144 of secondcoupled region 136 adjacent to rear support member 120. In this manner,section 157 of bottom strip 116 takes shape of the top portion of theletter “S”.

Small coupled regions 132, 136 of strips 114, 116 and/or the relativelythin flexible nature of the material forming strips 114, 116 contributesto and facilitates the formation of hinges 133 at or adjacent apexes146, 144, which in combination with coupling at least one vane layer andpossibly both vane layers to the support members at an offset distancefrom coupled regions 132, 136 (and apexes 146, 144), facilitates theseparation of the layers, the formation of cavity 122, and the shape(and in some embodiments the substantially “S” shape) of themulti-layered vanes.

Construction of the Support Members May Include Sheers

The material and design for the front and rear support members 114, 116are independent aspects of the design of panel 104. In one embodiment,the front and rear support members may be formed partially or wholly assheers, and more preferably sheer fabrics. A sheer is a material thathas openings that permit light and view-through. The openness of amaterial, e.g., a sheet, may be measured by its openness factor whichmeasures the percent of open space in, for instance, a material, where a60% openness factor (“OF”) has 40% material and 60% holes or openspaces. The higher the openness factor OF, the more sheer and betterview through provided by the material. One manner of measuring opennessfactor is to measure the area of the yarns and/or open areas andcalculate the percentage of area that has no material. In one example adigital microscope or high resolution camera may be used to capture animage of the material and the image used to calculate the percentagethat does not have fabric, yarns, or material. A Motic digitalmicroscope and Motic Image Plus 2.0 Software may be used to measure theopenness factor of various materials. While a portion of the discussionof the vertical support members refers to sheers and the openness factorof sheers, it should be appreciated that the vertical support memberscan be fabrics, films, and other materials that are formed with or whichare later processed to receive openings and holes in order to provideview through characteristics and an openness factor OF. By selectingsuitable materials for the support members, including the appropriateopenness factor for the sheet material, in combination with thevolumetric look of the cellular vane, the function and aesthetic appealof the panel and covering may be varied.

In one embodiment, the rear and/or front support members may be black ora dark color, such as, for example, grey. In a particular embodiment,rear sheet 120 may be black or a dark color, and may be darker thanfront sheet 118. For example, the rear support member can be made from apigment colored material, such as, for example, polyester. Coloring orproviding rear support member 120 in a dark color or black may increasevisibility through that support member and the panel. In addition, blackor dark coloration for rear support member 120 may substantially reducethe glitter or glisten effect of the material, which may otherwise occurin bright light. The front support member may be black or a dark color,or may be lighter colored than the back support member, and may beclear, white, or light colored. In one embodiment, the front supportmember may be a sheer and the back support member may also be a sheer.

Pigment or dye may be used to color sheets 118, 120. Effective coloringcan be achieved by adding pigment, for example, carbon black or otherdark or black pigment, to a molten polymer when making the fiber, andthus dispersing and saturating the color throughout the yarn. Thissolution dying process generally works well for preparing single coloryarn, which can be used to make long lasting exterior fabrics which aremore resistant to ultraviolet (UV) degradation. The embedded pigment mayact to block UV rays and consequent degradation. Alternatively, or inaddition to, the thread or yarn may be dyed darker, using, for example,dispersion dyes after manufacturing the yarn. One manner of dying thefabric could be by printing with the dye, for example by using a roller.One or both sides of the fabric may be printed. A darker colored rearsheer should be generally less susceptible to UV degradation and mayallow the use of thinner or finer yarns for the front sheer resulting inbetter view-through for the panel 104.

Support members with a higher openness factor as low as sixty percent(60%) to as high as about eight five percent (85%) in incrementstherebetween of about two percent (2%) are preferred for aestheticreasons. In particular, support members with a high openness factor,preferably greater than sixty percent (60%), more preferably greaterthan sixty-five percent (65%), seventy percent (70%), more preferablygreater than seventy-five percent (75%) and greater than eighty percent(80%) or higher may be preferred for aesthetic reasons. In embodiments,different finer (thinner) yarns may be used which may contribute to ahigher openness factor. Use of dark yarns may be advantageous for theadditional reason that sunlight may not degrade the materials in thecovering, and the materials will retain their strength.

When constructing a panel 104 having two support members formed assheers, partial sheers, or with numerous openings as the verticalsupporting members, factors such as strength, durability, stretch, UVdegradation, and moiré light interference are all factors in the designof an acceptable covering 100. Moiré may occur as a result of lightinterference when two sheer materials overlay each other and light istransmitted there through. Moiré which is a light interference artifactthat may occur in a covering having front and back sheers as verticalsupport members, is preferably avoided or at least minimized and reducedwhen producing a covering, particularly coverings for windows and thelike where light passes there through.

One manner of reducing moiré is to use different sheer fabrics for thefront and rear sheets and/or selecting, processing and/or configuringsheer fabrics so that the yarns, and interstitial spacing and connectionpoints do not align or nearly align. One manner of reducing moiré is toprovide a front sheet (e.g. sheer) and a back sheet (e.g., sheer) thathave different shaped openings and/or different orientations ofopenings. Moiré may further be reduced where the front and rear sheets(e.g. sheers) have different size openings between the yarns, andfurther where the size openings are not low multiples of each other. Forexample, using different fabrics having different shaped (for example,diamond versus rectangular) and different sized opening is useful toreduce moiré. In addition, avoiding or reducing the multiples (number oftimes) that the yarns align or nearly align may reduce moiré. Using awidth and/or length dimension for the openings in the first sheet thatare not a low multiple of (e.g., not less than 1.2 times larger than)the width and/or length dimension for the openings in the second sheetis believed to assist with reducing moiré. For example, it is preferableto use an opening in the second sheer whose width is about 1.3 or moretimes larger or smaller than the width of the opening in the firstsheer. Similarly, the opening in the first sheer in the length directionis preferably about 1.3 or more times larger or smaller than the openingin the second sheer in the length direction. In one example, a firstsheer is used in combination with a second sheer where the opening ofthe second sheer is about 1.5 times larger or smaller in the widthdirection and about 3.4 times larger or smaller in the length direction.The first sheer may be a rectangular opening of about 7.3 mm in widthand about 4.1 mm in length while the second sheer may be a diamondopening of about 10.7 mm in width and about 14.1 mm in length. Othershapes and sizes for the openings in the first and second sheers arecontemplated.

In one embodiment of panel 104, an orthogonal grid fabric may be used asfront sheer 118. For example, a Leno or gauze weave fabric may be usedfor the front sheer 118. In a Leno fabric, warp yarns are used in pairsand twisted together in a way that traps the weft yarns in place so thatthe yarns do not slide, which would alter their spacing. The Leno sheerallows a wider spacing of yarns and a very open weave with fine yarnwhich provides good view-through. In one embodiment, the Leno weave forthe front sheer has a cross-direction density of about 21 yarns per inch(ypi) (cross yarn is two yarns twisted together) and a machine directiondensity of about 25 ypi. In one embodiment, the Leno weave for the frontsheer has a rectangularly shaped opening with dimensions of about 7.3 mmin width (distance between paired warp yarns) and about 4.1 mm in length(distance between weft yarns). Other cross and machine direction densityvalues are contemplated and exemplary values would range from about 15to about 30 cross direction ypi and about 15 to about 30 machinedirection ypi depending upon the yarn denier. In another embodiment, thefabric for the front sheer is a Leno or plain weave, with 22 warp ypiand 22 pairs of weft ypi. Preferably, the front sheer has an opennessfactor of as low as about sixty percent (60%) and as high as abouteighty five percent (85%), which may vary therebetween in increments ofabout two percent (2%). Preferably, the front sheer has on opennessfactor of greater than sixty percent (60%), more preferably greater thanabout sixty-five percent (65%), more preferably about seventy percent(70%) or higher including about seventy-five percent (75%), eightypercent (80%) and about eighty-five (85%). The Leno fabric may be madefrom monofilament or multifilament yarn with a denier that ranges fromabout 16 to about 24 and may be about 20. An example of a Leno fabricfor use in the covering is an Englebert Steiger Leno fabric. TheEnglebert Steiger Leno fabric preferably has an openness factor greaterthan about sixty-five percent (65%). While, the Leno fabric withorthogonal grid has been discussed as being used as the front verticalsupport member, it will be appreciated that the Leno fabric may be usedas the rear vertical support member and other materials may be used asthe front vertical support member.

Further, a different fabric, for example, a diagonal grid fabric may beused for the rear sheer 120. The diagonal grid is preferably a knitTulle fabric and may be made, for example, with either a 20/1 or a 20/12yarn. The 20/12 is made with a 20 denier yarn with 12 filaments whilethe 20/1 is a 20 denier yarn with a single or monofilament. The 20/1monofilament yarn has a slightly smaller overall diameter and thus, whenformed into a sheer, has better view through and openness factor thanthe 20/12 and may be the preferred choice. The Tulle may be made on a20-gauge warp knitting machine, so 20 warp yarns per inch are fed intothe knitter, and no fill yarns are used on the warp knitter. In anexemplary embodiment, the Tulle for the rear sheer is about 20 gauge(yarns) in the cross (width) direction and about 10 courses in themachine (courses per inch). In an alternative embodiment, the Tulle maybe knitted on a 32-gauge knitter with every other needle removed tocreate a 16-gauge Tulle diagonal fabric. The rear sheer preferably hasan openness factor as low as about sixty percent (60%) and as high asabout eighty five percent (85%), which may vary therebetween inincrements of about two percent (2%). In one embodiment the rear sheerpreferably has an openness factor greater than about sixty percent(60%), more preferably greater than sixty-five percent (65%), morepreferably greater than seventy percent (70%) or higher includinggreater than seventy-five percent (75%), about eighty percent (80%) orhigher, and about eighty-five percent (85%). That is, front and rearsheers with an openness factor that ranges from as low as about sixtypercent (60%) to as high as about eighty-six percent (86%) have produceddesirable results. In one embodiment, the Tulle sheer may have anopenness factor OF greater than seventy-five percent (75%) and less thanninety percent (90%), and more preferably between about eighty percent(80%) and eighty-six percent (86%). While a diagonal grid fabric andparticularly a knit Tulle fabric has been disclosed as being used forthe rear vertical support member it may be appreciated that a diagonalgrid fabric, for example a knit Tulle fabric, may be used for the frontvertical support member and other materials may be used for the rearvertical support member.

Tulle sheer fabrics, made in very open grid constructions, for examplewith a 20-gauge warp knitter, a 32-gauge knitter with every other needleremoved to create a 16-gauge Tulle fabric, or a 28-gauge knitter whichis finished by stretching to a 20-gauge fabric, can provide goodview-through while avoiding or reducing moiré or interference patternswith the Leno weave face sheer. In an embodiment, the Tulle fabric forthe rear sheer is prepared on a 28-gauge knitter and is finished bystretching to about a 20-gauge fabric where the openings have dimensionsof about 10.7 mm in width and about 14.1 mm in length. In oneembodiment, a rear Tulle knit sheer fabric with diagonal grid patternmade from a dark (for example, grey or black) 20 denier yarn creating anabout 20 to about 16-gauge fabric is used, in combination with a SteigerLeno front sheer having 15-30 ypi in the cross direction and 15-30 ypiin the machine (weft) direction. In one embodiment, a Steiger Leno frontsheer having rectangularly shaped openings of about 7.3 mm in width and4.1 mm in length are paired with a Tulle rear sheer prepared on a28-gauge knitter that is finished by stretching to about a 20-gaugefabric where the openings are about 10.7 mm in width and about 14.1 mmin length. The Leno fabric and Tulle fabric may both be dark (forexample, gray or black) and/or one of the fabrics may be lighter (forexample, gray vs. black), or a light color (for example, beige orwhite). Optionally, the rear sheer fabric may be the Leno weave fabricand the front sheer may be the knit Tulle fabric. The sheer fabrics, inparticular a Leno weave and a Tulle knit, may be used with non-cellularvanes, multi-layered cellular vanes, and combinations thereof.

In one embodiment a panel may be formed of a front vertical supportmember and a rear vertical support member each having an openness factorgreater than sixty (60%) and the panel may further have non-cellularvanes, multilayered cellular vanes, or a mixture of both vane types. Inone embodiment the rear sheet may be a black sheer with an opennessfactor of about seventy-five percent (75%) or greater, and further maybe an about 16 to about 28-gauge Tulle knit fabric, for example a28-gauge Tulle that is finished by stretching to a 20-gauge sheer. TheTulle may be formed of a 20 denier yarn that may be monofilament ormultifilament but other denier yarns whether monofilament ormulti-filament are contemplated. In one embodiment the front sheer mayhave an openness factor of about sixty-five percent (65%) or greater,and further may be a Steiger Leno and may have about 15-30 ypi in thecross (warp) and machine (weft) direction. The Tulle and Steiger Lenosheers with openness factors OF greater than sixty-five percent (65%)may be used with single layer non-cellular vanes configured in theprivacy or shading orientation. In one embodiment, a covering having allnon-cellular vanes, all multilayered cellular vanes, or a combination ofnon-cellular and cellular vanes may have a Tulle sheer having anopenness factor of about eighty percent (80%) or greater for one of thefront or rear vertical support members and a Leno fabric having anopenness factor of about sixty-five percent (65%) or greater for theother of the front or rear vertical support members where at least therear sheer may be a dark or black color.

Enhanced Vane Closure

It may be desirable in a covering that the vanes angularly orient andmove uniformly and evenly along the entire length (height) of the sheets118, 120, from top end 170 of panel 104 to bottom end 175 of panel 104,to minimize gaps between adjacent vanes 135. The relative length of thefront and rear sheets, particularly between adjacent connectionlocations of the vanes to the front support member as compared to therear or back support member, is an important factor in achieving fullclosure at the bottom end of the panel. Depending on the specificconfiguration of the covering and the material of the fabrics, distance158 between adjacent connection locations 148, 148′, 148″ where vanes112 are coupled to front sheet 118 (shown in FIG. 5) may be the same asor different from distance 160 between adjacent connection locations142, 142′, 142″ on rear sheet 120. In addition, the distance between thevery top connection location 148 and the very bottom connection location148″ on front sheet 118 may also be the same as or different from therespective distance between the very top connection location 142 and thevery bottom connection location 142″ on rear sheet 120.

More specifically, to facilitate tighter and/or enhanced closure of thevanes and the vertical support members, it is preferable that thevertical support member that rolls to the inside of the roller is longerthan the vertical support member that rolls to the outside of theroller. In other words, it is advantageous to have the vertical supportmember/sheet that pulls the vanes into a closed position bear the weightand tension of the panel when the vertical support members/sheets arelaterally close together and the covering is in a fully extended, closedposition, or is being retracted. By adjusting the relative distances158, 160 between connection locations (e.g., glue lines) 148, 142 ofadjacent vanes 112 so that the vertical support member/sheet that pullsthe vane closed is under tension by being shorter than the othervertical support member/sheet, the sequence, timing, and amount ofclosure of the vanes and the panel can be controlled. In addition, thevertical support member/sheet that carries the weight and rolls to theoutside of the roller generally is under more tension and stretches moreover time than the inner vertical support member/sheet. Adjusting thelength of the vertical support members/sheets and distance betweenadjacent vanes so that the vertical support member/sheet that rolls tothe outer side of the roller remains under tension over time (accountingfor stretching) by being shorter than the other vertical supportmember/sheet preferably is also considered when calculating andadjusting the distances between adjacent connection locations, 142,142′, and 148, 148′ on the front and rear vertical supportmembers/sheets.

With reference to FIG. 5, adjusting distance (height/length) 158 betweenadjacent connection locations (e.g., glue lines) 148, 148′ on frontsheet 118 as compared to distance (height/length) 160 between adjacentconnection locations (e.g., glue lines) 142, 142′ on back sheet 120 isreferred to as ratioing. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, where thecovering is configured for a shading orientation, the distance alongfront sheet 118 between top most connection location 148 and bottomconnection location 148″ may be shorter than the distance along rearsheet 120 between top connection location 142 and bottom connectionlocation 142″. More specifically, distance 158 along front sheet 118 foreach adjacent vane 112 may be shorter than distance 160 along rear sheet120 for each adjacent vane 112.

The ratioing of the vertical support members/sheets to facilitatetighter and/or enhanced closure of the covering to the bottom of thepanel can be used on a shading or privacy oriented covering product, butmay be more advantageous on a shading oriented covering. One detrimentaleffect of increasing the distance (height/length) 158, 160 betweenconnection locations (e.g., glue lines) of the inner vertical supportmember/sheet is that the inner vertical support member/sheet that rollsto the inside of the roller has extra material which may create wrinklesin the inner vertical support member/sheet. However, if the innervertical support member/sheet forms rear vertical support member/sheet120 on the back or exterior side 101 of the covering, as in a shadingoriented product, the wrinkles or worm tracks in rear vertical supportmember/sheet 120 resulting from the extra material, will now end up onthe back or exterior side 101 of the product, where, particularly with ablack rear sheer, such wrinkles will be difficult to detect by theproduct user.

To provide closure or to assist and to facilitate closure of thecovering to bottom end 175 of the panel/covering, the length from thevery top connection location to the very bottom connection location forthe vertical support member/sheet that rolls to the inside of the rolleris generally as low as about 0.2% and as high as about 2% (and may varytherebetween in increments of about 0.1%) longer, preferably as low asabout 0.25% and as high as about 1% longer, than the respective lengthbetween the very top connection location to the very bottom connectionlocation of the other vertical support member/sheet that rolls to theoutside of the roller. For example, in FIG. 5, distance 158 betweenadjacent connection location 148, 148′, 148″ preferably is shorter onfront vertical support member/sheet 118 than distance 160 betweenadjacent connection location 142, 142′, 142″ on rear vertical supportmember/sheet 120, if front vertical support member/sheet 118 rolls tothe inside of the roller with the panel in a shading orientation.Non-limiting examples for the percentage of the extra length of one ofthe front and rear vertical support member/sheet as compared to theother of the front and rear vertical support member/sheet include aboutas low as 0.25% to as high as about 2% longer in increments of 0.25% andinclude about 0.5%, about 0.75%, about 1%, about 1.25% and about 1.5%although other increments and ranges are contemplated, and will dependupon the width and desired characteristics of the multi-layered vanes.The relative length of the front and rear vertical supportmembers/sheets and the distance between connection locations along thefront and rear vertical support members/sheets can be adjusted so thatall the cells and/or vanes will close at the same time.

Ratioing of fabric can be achieved with accurate metering of front andrear vertical support members/sheets 118, 120, preferably with aninstantaneous and permanent bond of the generally horizontal vaneelements to the generally vertical support members/sheets. Metering thevertical support members/sheets involves accurately controlling the feedof the vertical support member/sheet materials before the next vane iscoupled to the vertical support members/sheets to achieve proper andcontrolled connection location differentials. Preferably the vanes arecoupled to the vertical support members/sheets with an instantaneous andpermanent bond preferably creating a single point/line of coupling orattachment. Because the vanes are instantaneously and permanently bondedand set at their respective permanent locations on the sheets, there isno need to flatten the material to make a permanent bond later.

Bottom Rail Configuration

The covering may include a bottom end rail 110 having a length thatextends in the same direction as (e.g., along) the length of the vanes(and the width of the vertical support members and panel), and a widthorthogonal to its length. The bottom rail generally, but notnecessarily, has a length that is substantially the same as the lengthof vanes 112, which is generally the same as the width of the coveringor panel. As illustrated in FIG. 14, in one embodiment bottom rail 180preferably is coupled to rear vertical support member/sheet 120 wherethe bottom-most vane 112 connects to rear vertical support member/sheet120, and preferably has a width “W” that is less than the width of thevanes. An insert 185 may be coupled to rear vertical supportmember/sheet 120 and insert 185 is inserted into a cavity in bottom rail180. The front vertical support member/sheet may terminate at connectionlocation 148 or, as shown in FIG. 14, may continue and be associatedwith or coupled to one or more of bottom rail 180, vane 112, or rearvertical support member/sheet 120 adjacent or within bottom rail 180.Bottom rail 180 preferably connects to the front vertical supportmember/sheet, and/or the vane, and/or the rear vertical supportmember/sheet at a single location or region that extends along thelength of the bottom rail. In one embodiment, the bottom rail couples tothe lowermost region where the vane is connected to the vertical supportmember/sheet. Bottom rail 180 may be coupled to at least rear verticalsupport member/sheet 120 which rolls up to the inside of the roller in ashading orientation.

An alternative embodiment of bottom rail 180′ is shown in FIG. 15.Bottom rail 180′ has a cavity 187 in communication with a channel 186.Rear vertical support member/sheet 120 may be adhesively bonded or gluedto an insert 185′, and may be bonded on the reverse side of insert 185′as shown in FIG. 15. Insert 185′ may be laterally moved or slid intocavity 187 while rear vertical support member/sheet 120 extends throughchannel 186. Channel 186 preferably extends the length of bottom rail185′ and vertical support member extends out the channel 186 along itslength. Insert 185′ with one or more vertical support members may bepositioned within channel 186′ by other methods as well. Insert 185′ isconstrained from rotating in cavity 187. Front vertical supportmember/sheet 118 may terminate at connection location 148 (not shown) ofthe vane, or the front vertical support member/sheet may continue alongthe underside of the last vane and may terminate at apex 144 of themulti-layered vane, or the front vertical support member/sheet maycontinue past apex 144 of the last multilayered vane and be coupled toinsert 185′. If the front vertical support member/sheet is coupled toinsert 185′, front vertical support member/sheet 118 will also extendinto channel 186 and cavity 187. The bottom rail preferably couples tothe panel at or along a single location or small region, and preferablyapplies its weight to a one and only one of the front and/or rearvertical support members, and preferably, for a covering in the shadingconfiguration, to the rear vertical support member. Other constructionsfor bottom rail 180 and optional insert 185 are contemplated and wouldpreferably couple or attach to the panel along a single location orsmall region along the lowermost region where the vane connects to thevertical support member, and would be apparent to a person of ordinaryskill in the art.

Rear sheet 120 in covering 100 in FIGS. 14 and 15 is configured to bethe vertical support member that rolls up around the roller (not shown)to the inside of front vertical support member 118. There are severalbenefits of using a bottom rail 180 coupled to inner vertical (support)sheet 120. By putting weight on sheet 120 that will roll to the insideof the roller tube, sheet 120 may be stretched and may assist all thevanes to completely and evenly close (e.g., fully angularly rotate) allthe way from top end 170 to bottom end 175 of panel 104 by pulling thelower-most portion of vane 112 downward. Meanwhile, no weight is placedon outside sheet 118, and the two sheets 118, 120 are not pushed apartby the width of the bottom rail as may happen with a bottom rail thatspans across and is coupled to the two sheets at two separate anddifferent locations, or both sides of the vane at two separate anddifferent locations along the bottom rail. Bottom end rail 180 coupledat or along a single location to only the inner vertical supportmember/sheet also may be more aesthetically pleasing, especially on aproduct when deployed in a shading orientation. A traditional curvedbottom rail, coupled to both sheets at two different and separatelocations as shown in FIG. 3A, will be in direct view as the covering ina shading orientation rolls up, and may be hard to hide from view behinda valance or head rail once rolled up. Preferably a low profile orminimalistic bottom rail, such as illustrated in the embodiments ofFIGS. 14 and 15 is used, although it will be appreciated that otherconfigurations for the bottom rail such as illustrated in FIG. 1A may beused.

Method of Manufacturing a Flexible Panel

A method of forming a flexible panel for use as an architecturalcovering may include:

-   -   (a) providing a plurality of multi-layered vanes having a top        layer and bottom layer, the bottom layer preferably being wider        than the top layer; and    -   (c) coupling the multi-layered vane to a front support member,        e.g., sheer, and a rear support member, e.g., sheer, to form the        panel.

In one embodiment, providing a multi-layered vane may include providinga separate top strip and a separate bottom strip and overlaying thestrips so the respective two side edges are aligned (or nearly aligned)and coupling the strips along their side edges in coupled regions, andin some embodiments only along their side edges, and preferablycontinuously along their side edges. The coupled regions may form apexesor hinge regions of the multi-layered vane. The width of the coupledregion orthogonal to the side edges of the respective strips may besmall and generally are less than 2 mm, preferably less than the averagethickness of the materials, and generally between about 1.0 mm and about0.125 mm. The coupled region preferably facilitates the formation of aflex point, hinge, or semi-hinge 133, which facilitates opening of thecell or cavity of the multi-layered vane to create an aestheticallyshaped, preferably double “S” shaped, cellular vane. In one embodiment,one or both side edges are welded, e.g., ultrasonic cut-seal orhot-knife cut-seal, to form the coupled region between the top andbottom strips.

Alternatively, in another embodiment, a fold line may be created to formone of the apexes or hinge regions of the multi-layered vane. Forexample, in an alternate embodiment, the top and bottom layers areformed of the same piece of material that may be folded, and optionallycreased, perforated, and/or heat-set so that the side edges areco-linear and a fold line (e.g., a preferential fold line) is formed inthe material, and the remaining free side edges are coupled togetheralong a coupled region. In this manner, the crease or fold line may formone apex and hinge, and the coupled side edges form the other apex(and/or coupled region) and hinge.

In yet a further embodiment, the multi-layered vane may be provided byproviding a separate top strip and a separate bottom strip andoverlaying the strips so the respective side edges are aligned or nearlyaligned and coupling the side edges to form coupled regions where atleast one coupled region is created using an adhesive process and theother coupled region is created using a fusing process, and may beformed using an ultrasonic cut-seal or hot-knife cut-seal weldingprocess.

Localized regions adjacent to the ultrasonic weld (the coupled region)may be formed which are thinned out and further add to the flexibilityof the vanes at the coupled region and which provide an even moreflexible hinge or flex point 133 at or adjacent to the coupled regionsat the edges of the vanes. As an alternative, a hot-knife cut seal couldproduce the weld and should result in thin attachment area widthscomparable to ultrasonic cut-seal. Glue or adhesive bonding may beutilized and may achieve a bonding area width of about 1.5 mm or more.The glue bonding may create a stiffer, thicker region for the coupledregion and the coupled region may extend a distance away from apexes144, 146, and so the effective distance where the two fabrics are heldparallel to each other at the apexes of the vanes could be as much as 3mm.

The multi-layered vanes may be coupled to the sheets with adhesive. Forexample, hot melt and UV cure adhesives and processes can be used forcoupling the vanes to the sheers. A polymer-containing adhesive may beused and preferably should not alter the properties of the fabric or thesheets. An alternative way of coupling the vanes to the sheets is sewingwhich is much more cumbersome and labor intensive. While the covering100 may be formed by independently forming the cellular vanes and thencoupling the cellular vanes together, it should be appreciated thatother methods of constructing the covering are feasible.

While adhesive can be placed on either the vanes or the vertical supportmembers/sheets, it is advantageous to apply adhesive to the vanes, thenassemble the vanes to the vertical support members/sheets for moreaccurate positioning of the vanes. Adhesive can be placed in acontinuous line a distance away from the coupled regions/apexes wherethe multi-layered strips of the vanes are coupled together, and/or thefold line is located, preferably about 2 mm to about 8 mm, or one of theglue lines instead may overlap with one of the coupled regions and/orthe fold line depending on the desired ornamental design and the shapeof the cellular vanes and panel.

The present disclosure features a covering for architectural featureshaving a panel formed of generally horizontal vane elements coupled togenerally vertical support members with unique dimensionality, richness,and versatility. The covering or panel may be light-controlling and isaesthetically appealing as well as practical. The panel has a height anda width and generally includes a generally vertical front supportelement or member having a height and width, and a generally verticalrear support element or member having a height and a width, where thegenerally vertical rear support member is operably coupled to, andpreferably laterally moveable relative to, the front support member.While panels and coverings with a front and rear generally verticalsupport member have been disclosed, it is contemplated and should beappreciated that additional generally vertical support members may beincluded in embodiments of the panel and/or covering, with generallyhorizontal vane elements, including non-cellular and/or multi-layeredcellular vanes, extending between the plurality of generally verticalsupport members. In one embodiment, the front and/or rear verticalsupport member may be substantially planar and flat, preferably with nofolds or creases formed therein, and the rear vertical support membermay be substantially parallel to the front vertical support member andoperably and preferably laterally moveable relatively coupled, directlyor indirectly, to the front vertical support member. The panel mayfurther include a plurality of generally horizontal vane elementsextending between, and which may be coupled directly or indirectly, tothe front and rear vertical support members, and both the front and rearvertical support members may control the movement and angularorientation of the vane elements, and may be laterally moveable withrespect to each other. The plurality of moveable, generally horizontallyextending vane elements may be manipulated and controlled by thevertical support members to control the amount of light inhibited,blocked or transmitted by or through the panel.

In one embodiment, the height and width of at least one, and preferablyboth, of the front and rear vertical support members is substantiallythe same as the height and width of the panel. In one embodiment, thelength (e.g., height) of one or both of the vertical support members isshorter than the panel, and in one embodiment, the length (e.g., height)of one of the vertical support member is shorter than the other supportmember. Alternatively, or additionally, the plurality of horizontallyextending vane elements have a length extending in the same direction asthe width of the front and rear vertical support members, and the lengthof at least one, and preferably all, of the vane elements issubstantially the same as the width of at least one, preferably all, ofthe vertical support members. In one embodiment, the width of the frontand/or rear support member is less than the length of the vane elements.The vane elements may be formed of any type of material, including inpreferred embodiments at least one of the group of materials consistingof translucent, semi-opaque, and opaque materials, and combinationsthereof. The plurality of generally horizontally extending vaneelements, and the front and rear vertical support members may be madefrom flexible materials to form a flexible panel, and in one embodimentthe vane elements and support members may be formed of, for example,fabrics or films, including woven, non-woven, or knits, includingpolyester materials. One or more, and in some embodiments all, of thevane elements are non-cellular vanes. Alternatively, or additionally,one or more, and in some embodiments all, of the vane elements may bemulti-layered cellular vanes that may form a cavity, preferably a tubewith a horizontally extending cavity, in response to the front and rearsupport members being laterally separable.

The vertical support elements are preferably formed of materials thathave openings that permit visibility through and light to pass therethrough. In one embodiment, at least one of the front and rear verticalsupport members has an openness factor of about sixty-five (65%) orgreater. In one embodiment, in a flexible panel for an architecturalopening, the front vertical support member may be a sheer and the rearvertical support member also may be a sheer. In one embodiment, thefront and rear vertical support members may be two different sheermaterials. In one embodiment, at least one of the front and rear supportsheers may be selected from the group consisting of an open diamondshape and an open orthogonal grid shape, and preferably at least theother of the front and rear support sheers may be selected from thegroup consisting of an open diamond shape and an open orthogonal gridshape, although other shapes and sizes of the openings in the materialare contemplated. In yet another embodiment, the rear support sheer hasan openness factor greater than the openness factor of the frontvertical support sheer, or vice versa. In a further embodiment, one ormore of the support members or sheers may have an openness factor as lowas 60%, and as high as 90%, (and may vary therebetween in increments ofabout 2%), more preferably an openness factor of about 65%, or greater,more preferably one or more support members or sheers may have anopenness factor greater than 70%, of about 75% or greater, and morepreferably about 80%, and greater, and may have an openness factorbetween about 80% to about 90%.

In some embodiments, one or more (at least one) of the vertical supportmembers may be a dark color, for example, black, gray, or brown. In anembodiment, the rear vertical support member or sheer may be a darkercolor than the front support member, including the front sheer, or viceversa. For example, the dark vertical support members may be solutiondyed, dispersion dyed, or both solution and dispersion dyed with carbonblack. In one aspect, one or more support members may be dark and madefrom carbon black pigment colored material, preferably polyester. In oneembodiment, the front vertical support member may be white, off-white,and clear and/or colored with titanium pigment, or vice versa. Havingvertical support members with high openness factors and dark colors mayincrease view-through, and enhanced visibility of the vane elements maybe achieved in certain embodiments.

At least one of the front and rear vertical support members may beselected from the group consisting of a knit Tulle sheer fabric and awoven Leno sheer fabric, and in a still further embodiment at least theother of the front and rear vertical support members may be selectedfrom the group consisting of a knit Tulle sheer fabric and a woven Lenosheer fabric. At least one of the front and rear vertical supportmembers may be a dark color, and in a selected embodiment, the rearvertical support member may be a black Tulle sheer fabric, preferablypolyester and the front vertical support member may be a Leno sheerfabric, preferably polyester, or vice versa. In one embodiment, the rearvertical support member is a dark Tulle sheer fabric having an opennessfactor of about 80% or greater, and alternatively or additionally, thefront vertical support member is a Leno sheer fabric having an opennessfactor of greater than 65%, or vice versa. In one embodiment, the Tullefabric may be made from a 20 denier monofilament yarn dyed a dark color.In one embodiment, the front sheer may be a Leno weave fabric withapproximately 20-25 ypi in both the warp and weft directions withopenings of about 7.3 mm between the paired warp yarns and about 4.2 mmbetween the weft yarns, and in a still further embodiment the rear sheeris a Tulle fabric with openings of about 10.7 mm in width and about 14.1mm in length preferably prepared on a 28-gauge knitter and stretched toan about 20-gauge fabric One or both of the front and rear sheers may beblack or a dark color, one of the front or rear shears may be a lightcolor, and the front fabric may be a Tulle sheer and the rear fabric maybe a Leno sheer.

In an embodiment, the one or more vane elements may be a multi-layeredstructure having a top and bottom layer of material. The top and bottomlayers may be formed of a single, integral, continuous sheet of materialor multiple pieces of material. When extending between the front andrear generally vertical support members and operated as an architecturalcovering, the layers of the multi-layered vanes are moveable and mayseparate with respect to each other preferably to create cellular vanesthat have walls that form generally horizontal expandable tubes thatcircumscribe a cavity or space with open ends, and which may becompressible to form a generally two-dimensional flat slat. A pluralityof the collapsible and expandable tubes may be coupled to the verticalsupport members. Each collapsible and expandable tube may be coupled tothe front vertical support member preferably along a singlehorizontally-extending connection location and coupled to the rearvertical support member preferably along a single horizontally-extendingconnection location. Each of the plurality of collapsed tubes may becoupled to the front vertical support member at different connectionlocations along the front vertical support member so that gaps may beformed between the multi-layered vanes when the tubes are expanded. Eachof the plurality of collapsed tubes may be coupled to the rear verticalsupport member at different connection locations along the rear verticalsupport member so gaps may be formed between the multi-layered vaneswhen the tubes are expanded. The wall(s) created by the multi-layeredvane in some embodiments may completely and continuously circumscribethe sides of the cavity, with the cavity being open at the ends of themulti-layered vanes. The layers of the multi-layered vane may form anelongated generally horizontal tube when the front and rear verticalsupport members are laterally spaced apart, and the volume of the cavitymay increase as the front and rear vertical support members laterallyseparate further from each other and the volume of the cavity maydecrease as the front and rear vertical support members move closertogether.

In one embodiment, at least one of the top layer and the bottom layer ofthe multi-layered vane is made from non-woven materials, and in anotherembodiment both the top layer and the bottom layer are made fromnon-woven materials. The layers/strips of material forming themulti-layer cellular vanes may be formed of thinner non-wovens thansingle-layered vanes. The multi-layered vanes as a whole may be morestable than a single-layer vane and remain straight and clean, becausethe multi-layered vanes as an assembled combination may be thicker andmay have better structural integrity and stability than a single-layeredvane. In another aspect, the top layer may be darker in color than thebottom layer, and alternatively or additionally, the bottom layer may bemade from one of the group consisting of translucent, semi-opaque,opaque, and room-darkening materials, and combinations thereof. In otheraspects, at least one of the top layer and the bottom layer is printedon prior to forming the multi-layered laminate that forms the vaneelements. One of the top layer and or the bottom layer may have a bottomsurface printed in a duotone color and or a top surface printed in amonotone color. At least one of the top layer and the bottom layer maycontain an antistatic material.

In one embodiment, the panel includes a plurality of multi-layeredvanes, each multi-layered vane having a flexible top layer and aflexible bottom layer, each layer having a first side edge and a secondside edge defining a width and two ends defining a length, and at leastthe first side edge of at least one top layer is coupled to at least thefirst side edge of its respective bottom layer at a first copied region,and in embodiments, the second side edge of the top layer is coupled tothe second side edge of its respective bottom layer at a second coupledregion. In one embodiment, the first and/or second coupled regions mayform a first and/or second respective apex, and/or a first and/or secondflexible hinge. The bottom layer may be coupled to one of the front andback support members (or sheers) at a first connection location and thetop layer may be coupled to the other of the front and back supportmembers at a second connection location, at least one of the first andsecond connection locations is spaced from its respective, proximatecoupled region. In one embodiment, the top layer is separated from thebottom layer in response to the front support member being laterallyspaced from the rear vertical support member. The flexible hinge maypermit the layers of the multi-layered vane to easily separate at orimmediately proximate to the coupled region, and preferably the layerseasily and immediately separate at or immediately proximate to thecoupled region. In one embodiment, the top and bottom layers may beformed from a separate top strip of material and a separate bottom stripof material. In one embodiment the top and bottom layers or strips ofmaterial forming the multi-layered vane may be coupled, preferablycontinuously along the entire length of their edges, in regions that arepreferably thin, of narrow width, and flexible. The coupled regions mayserve as a flex point or hinge so that the middle section of the top andbottom strips may easily separate from each other to form a longitudinalcavity and three-dimensional cellular vane.

In embodiments, each multi-layered vane has each first side edge of eachtop layer coupled to at least each first side edge of each respectivebottom layer preferably to form first coupled regions, which preferablyincluded first apexes, and/or first flexible hinges. The first side edgeof the top layer may be coupled to the first side edge of the bottomlayer along the entire length of the respective top and bottom layers toform the first coupled region along the entire length of themulti-layered vane. In one embodiment, the first coupled region is ofnarrow width and may have a width that is about the thickness of thelayers or less, and preferably has a width as low as about 1.0 mm orless, more preferably between about 0.5 mm to about 0.1 mm (and may varytherebetween in increments of about 0.1 mm), depending upon thethickness of the vane layers. In one embodiment, the material of the topand bottom layers are fused in the first coupled region, and the firstcoupled region may be formed by welding, including, for example,ultrasonic welding or hot-knife welding. Each of the top and the bottomlayers of the vane may be thinner in an area immediately adjacent to thefirst coupled region than in other areas spaced farther from the firstcoupled region.

Alternatively, or additionally, the second side edge of at least thefirst top layer is coupled to the second side edge of its respectivebottom layer to form a second coupled region and preferably includes asecond apex and/or a second flexible hinge. The second coupled regionmay be formed along the entire length of the second edges of themulti-layer vanes. The second coupled region may be formed by one of thegroup consisting of fusing the top and bottom layers together,adhesively bonding the top and bottom layers together, sewing the topand bottom layers together, and combinations of fusing, adhesivelybonding, and sewing the top and bottom layers together, or other meansof coupling or attaching such as staples, pins and tacks. The secondcoupled region(s) may have a narrow width, and may have a width that isabout the thickness of the layers, or less, and preferably has a widthas small as about 1.0 mm or less, more preferably, for example, betweenabout 0.5 mm to about 0.1 mm, (and may vary therebetween in incrementsof about 0.1 mm), depending upon the thickness of the vane layers. Inone embodiment, the layers of material forming the multi-layered vanemay be fused along both their side edges, preferably continuously alongthe entire longitudinal length of both of their side edges, and thematerials of the layers may be fused by, for example, welding (e.g.,ultrasonic welding or hot-knife cut-seal welding). Each of the top andbottom layers of the vane may be thinner in an area immediately adjacentto the second coupled region then in other areas spaced further from thesecond coupled region.

In one embodiment, one or more multi-layered vanes may be formed of asingle piece of material that may be configured, manipulated, folded,perforated, creased, and/or heat-set one or more times. In oneembodiment, the single sheet of material may be folded over to create atop and bottom layer. In this embodiment, at least a portion of the sideedge of the top layer of the multi-layered vane may be integral andformed of the same continuous sheet of material as the side edge of itsrespective bottom layer, the side edges forming an apex and fold line byat least one of the group consisting of folding, perforating, creasing,compressing, and heat-setting, and combinations thereof. The free sideedges of the folded piece of material forming the multi-layered vane mayoptionally be aligned and coupled by fusing (e.g. welding, for example,ultrasonic or hot-knife welding) the side edge of the top layer to theside edge of the bottom layer to form a coupled region and a hinge,while the fold line created by folding, perforating, creasing,compressing, and/or heat-setting creates the other coupled region, apex,and hinge.

In some embodiments, the vane elements may include a separate thirdlayer, or more layers or strips, and in a further embodiment a thirdlayer or strip may be a middle layer located between the top and bottomstrip, and that middle strip or layer may be formed of a room-darkeningmaterial which blocks light transmission. An example of a room-darkeninglayer may include Mylar, metalized plastic film, or a dark opaquematerial. The third layer in one embodiment may be printed on beforeforming the multi-layered vane. The third layer may be fused along itsside edges or coupled by other means, for example, adhesive bonding,sewing, staples, and may be separable from the top and bottom layers.

The multi-layered vanes extend between the front and rear generallyvertical supporting members. One end of the vane may be coupled to thefront vertical support member at a first connection location, and theother end of the vane may be coupled to the other of the front or rearvertical support member at a second connection location. In the case ofa multi-layered vane, in one embodiment, the bottom layer may be coupledto at least one of the front and rear vertical support members at thefirst connection location and the top layer may be coupled to the otherof the at least one front and rear vertical support members at thesecond connection location. In one embodiment, the vanes are bonded tothe front and rear supporting members using adhesive. In one embodiment,the bottom layer/strip of the multi-layered vane is glued to one of thefront or rear vertical support members at the first connection locationand the top layer/strip of the multi-layered vane is glued to the otherof the rear or front vertical support members at the second connectionlocation. The multi-layered vanes may be coupled to the sheets byadhesive, and the adhesive may extend continuously substantially theentire length of the multi-layered vane. The adhesive in one embodimentmay have a width as small as 1.0 mm, preferably about 2 mm, and as largeas about 10 mm, or larger.

The adhesive may be applied to the multi-layered vanes after the toplayer/strip and bottom layer/strip are coupled together, and, moreparticularly, adhesive may be applied to the exterior surfaces of thetop and bottom layer/strips, and the vanes may thereafter be applied tothe vertical support members. The multilayered vanes may beindependently formed by coupling the respective side edges of the topand bottom layers to form first and second coupled regions, or foldingthe sheet of material to form a fold line (e.g., first coupled region)and coupling the free edges to form the second coupled region, andthereafter adhesively bonding the multi-layered vane to the front andrear vertical support members at the first and second connectionlocations. The adhesive may be hot-melt or UV cured adhesive.

In one embodiment, at least one of the first connection location and thesecond connection location is spaced from its respective, proximatefirst coupled region (apex) by a first offset distance, and the toplayer of the multi-layered vane is separated from the bottom layer whenthe front vertical support member is laterally spaced from the rearvertical support member to form at least one wall that forms ahorizontally extending tube that circumscribes a cavity having a volume.In embodiments, at least one of the first connection location and thesecond connection location may be spaced from its respective, proximatefirst coupled region (or apex) by a first offset distance, and the otherof the first and second locations may be spaced from its respective,proximate second coupled region (or apex) by a second offset distance.The offset distance between the first connection location and itsrespective proximate apex (or coupled region) may be different or thesame as the offset distance between the second connection location andits respective proximate apex (or coupled region). Adhesive may beapplied to both the layers/strips at the respective desired offsetdistances from the edges (apexes) or coupled regions. In onearrangement, at least one or both of the first connection location andthe second connection location may be spaced from the first proximate,respective coupled region (or apex) by an offset distance as small asabout 5% to as large as about 10% of the width of the respective vanelayers (which may vary in increments of about 0.5%). In a furtheraspect, at least one or both of the first connection location and thesecond connection locations may be spaced from its respective, proximatecoupled region (or apex) by an offset distance as low as about 1.0 mm toas high as about 8.0 mm or larger (which may vary therebetween inincrements of about 0.5 mm), depending upon the width of the vanes andthe desired shape and characteristics of the vanes.

Alternatively, at least one of the first connection location and thesecond connection location is spaced from its respective, proximatefirst coupled region (apex) by an offset distance and the other of thefirst and second connection locations is spaced from the fold line by anoffset distance. Adhesive may be applied to both the layers/strips atthe respective desired offset distances from the edges (apexes), coupledregions, or fold lines. In one arrangement, at least one of the firstconnection location and the second connection location may be spacedfrom the proximate, respective fold line by an offset distance as smallas about 5% to as large as about 10% of the width of the respective vanelayers (which may vary therebetween in increments of about 0.5%). In afurther aspect, at least one of the first connection location and thesecond connection locations may be spaced from its respective, proximatefold-line by an offset distance as low as about 1.0 mm to as high asabout 8.0 mm or larger (which may vary therebetween in increments ofabout 0.5 mm) depending upon the width of the vanes and the desiredshape and characteristics of the vanes.

In another aspect, at least one of the coupled regions may be adjacentto one of the front or rear vertical support members, preferably thefront vertical support member, and preferably substantially coincidentlyand/or overlap with at least one of the first and second connectionlocations. In one embodiment, the at least one coupled region is on thebottom layer and it may be substantially coincident with or at leastoverlap with one of the first and second connection locations on thefront vertical support member. In another embodiment, the fold lineforming the side edge of the top layer and the side edge of the bottomlayer may be substantially coincident with at least one of the first andsecond connection locations on one of the front or rear vertical supportmembers, preferably the front vertical support member. In oneembodiment, the adhesive may be applied to one of the layers/strips atan offset distance from the first apex or first coupled region andapplied to the other layer/strip so that it is substantially coincidentwith or at least overlaps with the second coupled region (and/or apex),or fold line.

In another aspect, at least one of the top and bottom layers may besubstantially parallel to at least one of the front and rear verticalsupport members at the first connection location, and alternatively oradditionally, the other of the top and bottom layer may be substantiallyparallel to the other of the at least one of the front and rear verticalsupport members at the second connection location. The top layer inembodiments may be substantially parallel to the rear vertical supportmember at the first connection location, and additionally oralternatively, the bottom layer may be substantially parallel to thefront support member at the second connection location, or vice versa.In yet another aspect, the first coupled region forms a first apex, andat least one of the top layer and bottom layer between the first apexand the first connection location is substantially parallel to at leastone of the front and rear vertical support member. In a further aspect,the second side edge of the top and bottom layer opposite the firstcoupled region forms a second apex, and at least one of the top andbottom layer between the second apex and the second connection locationis substantially parallel to the other of the front and rear verticalsupport member. The second apex may be formed by one of the groupconsisting of adhesively bonding, welding, sewing, folding, creasing,perforating, and heat-setting the top and bottom layers, while the firstapex may be formed by fusing, for example, by ultrasonic or hot-knifewelding.

In yet another embodiment, the top layer of the multi-layered vaneembodiment may have a different width than the bottom layer, and in oneexample, the bottom layer is larger than the top layer, or vice versa.For example, for a vane having a width of about 2.5 inches to about 4.5inches, the bottom layer of a multi-layered vane may be wider than thetop layer by as little as about 0.5 mm and by as much as about 4 mm, andmay vary therebetween in increments of 0.1 mm. Other differences inwidth between the top layer and the bottom later are contemplated andwill depend upon the width of the vanes, the material of the vanes, andthe desired vane characteristics.

In another embodiment, by adjusting the relative length of the front andrear vertical support members, particularly the distance between theconnection locations of the vanes to the front and rear vertical supportmembers, vane closure for the covering and/or panel may be tightenedand/or enhanced, particularly in a shading orientation, and the sequenceof vane closure may be controlled. In any of the embodiments describedherein, the two respective first connection locations at very top andbottom ends of the front vertical support member define a first distanceand the two respective second connection locations at very top andbottom ends of the rear vertical support member define a seconddistance, the first distance may be different from the second distance,and the different distances between connection locations may facilitateclosure of the vanes to the bottom of the panel. The above embodimentsmay further include two respective first connection locations ofadjacent multi-layered vanes defining a first distance and tworespective second locations of the respective adjacent multilayeredvanes defining a second connection distance, the first distance beingdifferent from the second distance, and the different distances betweenconnection locations may facilitate closure of the vanes to the bottomof the panel. In one embodiment, the first connection locations may bespaced along the front vertical support member and the first distancemay be less than the second distance.

In still a further embodiment, a flexible panel for an architecturalopening is disclosed that includes front and rear vertical supportmembers, and a plurality of generally horizontally vanes having two sideedges defining its width, wherein the vane is coupled to at least one ofthe front and rear vertical support members at a first connectionlocation and the vane is coupled to the other of the at least one frontand rear vertical support members at a second connection location, andwherein the distance between respective first connection locations onone of the front and rear vertical support members between adjacentvanes is different than the distance between respective secondconnection locations on the other of the front and back vertical supportmembers between the same adjacent vanes to facilitate closure of thevanes in response to the panel being in the collapsed position, and thefront vertical support member is adjacent to the rear vertical supportmember. In another embodiment, the first connection location is on thefront vertical support member and the distance between respective firstconnection locations on the front vertical support member betweenadjacent vanes is greater than the distance between respective secondconnection locations on the rear vertical support member between thesame adjacent vanes. Alternatively, the distance between respectivefirst connection locations on the front vertical support member betweenadjacent vanes may be less than the distance between respective secondconnection locations on the back vertical support member between thesame adjacent vanes.

The above embodiments may further include bottom rails, rollers, headrails, and control mechanisms to form a covering for an architecturalopening. The covering may further include a bottom rail operativelyassociated with the bottom end of the panel, a movement mechanism tooperate the roller, and/or a head rail to mount the roller. The coveringin one embodiment may include a roller, and the top end of the panel maybe operatively associated with the roller. In yet another embodiment, abottom rail may be coupled to at least one of the rear vertical supportmember, the bottom most vane, and/or the front vertical support memberpreferably along a single region or line of the bottom rail which mayassist with vane closure and also adds a desirable appearance to thepanel. In one embodiment, the bottom rail has a length that extends inthe same direction as the length of the vane, and a width orthogonal toits length that may be less than the width of the vanes, and the bottomrail may be coupled along only a single location along the panel (and/orvertical support member(s)), and may be coupled to only the rearvertical support member.

Also disclosed is a method of forming a flexible panel, comprising (a)providing a top layer of material having a first and second side edgeand a bottom layer of material having a first and second side edge; (b)coupling a respective top layer and a respective bottom layer alongrespective first side edges to form a vane having a first coupledregion, wherein the first coupled region along the side edges has awidth of about 1.0 mm or less; (c) providing a front sheer and a rearsheer; and (d) coupling the vane to the front sheer and the rear sheerso that the vane extends between the front and rear sheer to form thepanel. The method may further include applying an adhesive to the vane,followed by coupling the vane to the sheers. In addition, coupling thevane to the front and rear sheer may be performed using a hot melt or UVcured adhesive process. Coupling may include the process of one of thegroup consisting of ultrasonic welding and hot-knife welding andcombinations thereof.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that the architectural coveringhas many applications, may be implemented in various manners and, assuch is not to be limited by the foregoing embodiments and examples. Anynumber of the features of the different embodiments described herein maybe combined into a single embodiment. The locations of particularelements, for example, the coupled regions (apexes) and glue line(coupling or attachment) locations may be altered. Alternate embodimentsare possible that have features in addition to those described herein ormay have less than all the features described. Functionality may alsobe, in whole or in part, distributed among multiple components, inmanners now known or to become known.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could bemade to the embodiments described above without departing from the broadinventive concept. It is understood, therefore, that this invention isnot limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it is intendedto cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention.While fundamental features of the invention have been shown anddescribed in exemplary embodiments, it will be understood thatomissions, substitutions, and changes in the form and details of thedisclosed embodiments of the architectural covering may be made by thoseskilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.Moreover, the scope of the invention covers conventionally known, andfuture-developed variations and modifications to the componentsdescribed herein as would be understood by those skilled in the art.

In the claims, the term “comprises/comprising” does not exclude thepresence of other elements, features, or steps. Furthermore, althoughindividually listed, a plurality of means, elements, or method steps maybe implemented by, e.g., a single unit, element, or piece. Additionally,although individual features may be included in different claims, thesemay advantageously be combined, and their inclusion individually indifferent claims does not imply that a combination of features is notfeasible and/or advantageous. In addition, singular references do notexclude a plurality. The terms “a”, “an”, “first”, “second”, etc., donot preclude a plurality. Reference signs or characters in thedisclosure and/or claims are provided merely as a clarifying example andshall not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims in any way.

The foregoing description has broad application. It should beappreciated that the concepts disclosed herein may apply to many typesof covering panels or shades, in addition to those described anddepicted herein. Similarly, it should be appreciated that the conceptsdisclosed herein may apply to many types of coverings, in addition tothe coverings described and depicted herein. For example, the conceptsmay apply equally to a top rail or any other rail movable through ahandle assembly. The discussion of any embodiment is meant only to beexplanatory and is not intended to suggest that the scope of thedisclosure, including the claims, is limited to these embodiments. Inother words, while illustrative embodiments of the disclosure have beendescribed in detail herein, it is to be understood that the inventiveconcepts may be otherwise variously embodied and employed, and that theappended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations,except as limited by the prior art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A flexible, multi-layered panel for a windowcovering to adjust the amount of light that passes there through, theflexible, multilayered panel comprising: a front vertical support memberhaving a height and width; a rear vertical support member having aheight and a width, the rear vertical support member substantiallyparallel to the front vertical support member and operably coupled andlaterally moveable relative to the front vertical support member; and aplurality of generally horizontal vanes extending between the front andrear vertical support members: wherein both the front and rear verticalsupport members control the movement and angular orientation of thevanes; a first of the front vertical support member or the rear verticalsupport member is a sheer fabric formed from polymer-based yarns, thesheer fabric containing openings that have a first shape and has anopenness factor in the range of about seventy-five percent (75%) toabout ninety percent (90%); and a second of the front vertical supportmember or rear vertical support member is a knit fabric formed frompolymer-based yarns, the knit fabric containing openings that are adifferent shape than the first shape of the openings in the sheer fabricand has an openness factor in the range of about seventy-five percent(75%) to about ninety percent (90%).
 2. The flexible panel of claim 1,wherein the rear vertical support member has an openness factor greaterthan the openness factor of the front vertical support member.
 3. Theflexible panel of claim 1, wherein the yarns of the sheer fabric of thefirst of the front and rear vertical support members have a denier ofabout 16 to about
 24. 4. The flexible panel of claim 1, wherein thesheer fabric of the first of the front vertical support member or therear vertical support member has fifteen (15) to thirty (30) yarns perinch (ypi) in the cross-direction and fifteen (15) to thirty (30) yarnsper square inch (ypi) in the machine-direction formingrectangular-shaped openings, and wherein the sheer fabric is configuredso that weight of the panel is aligned with and supported by either thecross-direction yarns or the machine-direction yarns.
 5. The flexiblepanel of claim 1, wherein the plurality of vanes are coupled torespective vertical support members with adhesive, wherein the adhesiveextends substantially the length of each vane and has a width of about 1mm to about 10 mm.
 6. The flexible panel of claim 1, wherein each vaneis connected to the front vertical support member at a first connectionlocation and is connected to the rear vertical support member at asecond location, and two respective first connection locations at verytop and bottom ends of the front vertical support member define a firstdistance and two respective second connection locations at very top andbottom ends of the vertical support member define a second distance, thefirst distance being different from the second distance.
 7. The flexiblepanel of claim 1, wherein each vane is connected to the front verticalsupport member at a first connection location and is connected to therear vertical support member at a second location, and the distancebetween respective first connection locations on the front verticalsupport member between adjacent vanes is less than the distance betweenrespective second connection locations on the back vertical supportmember between the same adjacent vanes.
 8. The flexible panel of claim1, wherein the second of the front vertical support member or the rearvertical support member is a knit Tulle sheer fabric.
 9. The flexiblepanel of claim 8, wherein the front fabric is a Leno fabric.
 10. Theflexible panel of claim 1, wherein at least one of the front or rearvertical support members is a dark color.
 11. The flexible panel ofclaim 10, wherein the plurality of vanes have a length extending in thesame direction as the width of the front and rear vertical supportmembers, and the length of at least one vane is substantially the sameas the width of at least one of the vertical support members.
 12. Theflexible panel of claim 10, wherein at least one of the dark coloredvertical support members are formed of yarns that are selected from thegroup consisting of yarns that are solution dyed, dispersion dyed, andcombinations thereof.
 13. The flexible panel of claim 12, wherein thedark colored vertical support member is made from material that is dyedusing carbon black pigment.
 14. The flexible panel of claim 10, whereinthe rear vertical support member is a dark color.
 15. The flexible panelof claim 14, wherein the rear vertical support member is a black Tulleknit fabric.
 16. The flexible panel of claim 1, wherein the rearvertical support member is a darker color than the front verticalsupport member.
 17. The flexible panel of claim 16, wherein the frontsupport member is a light colored material.
 18. The flexible panel ofclaim 17, wherein the front support sheer is made from one of the groupconsisting of white, off-white, and clear material.
 19. The flexiblepanel of claim 1, wherein the plurality of vanes include multi-layeredcellular vanes having a flexible top layer and flexible bottom layerthat separate to form a cavity in response to the front and rear supportmembers being laterally separated.
 20. The flexible panel of claim 19,wherein the multi-layered vane includes a third layer, wherein the thirdlayer is positioned between the top and bottom layer and comprises ametalized film.
 21. The flexible panel of claim 19, wherein the toplayer has a different width than the bottom layer.
 22. The flexiblepanel of claim 21, wherein the bottom layer is larger than the top layerby about 0.5 mm to about 4 mm.
 23. The flexible panel of claim 19,wherein each top and bottom layer has two side edges defining a widthand two ends defining a length, a first side edge of at least one toplayer is coupled at a first coupled region along a first side edge ofits respective bottom layer, and the bottom layer is coupled to thefront vertical support member at a first connection location and the toplayer is coupled to the rear vertical support member at a secondconnection location, at least one of the first connection location andthe second connection location is spaced from its respective, proximatefirst coupled region, and the top layer is separated from the bottomlayer in response to the front vertical support member being laterallyspaced from the rear vertical support member to form a cavity.
 24. Theflexible panel of claim 23, wherein the first coupled region has a widthin the width direction of the layers, the width of the first coupledregion being about 1 mm or less.
 25. The flexible panel of claim 24,wherein the first coupled region is formed by one of the groupconsisting of ultrasonic welding and hot-knife welding.
 26. The flexiblepanel of claim 23, wherein the second side edge of said at least toplayer of the multi-layered vane is coupled along the second side edge ofits respective bottom layer to form a second coupled region.
 27. Theflexible panel of claim 26, wherein the second coupled region is formedby one of the group consisting of ultrasonic welding, hot-knife welding,adhesive bonding, and combinations thereof.
 28. The flexible panel ofclaim 26, wherein the second coupled region has a width of about 1.0 mmor less.
 29. The flexible panel of claim 26, wherein both of the firstconnection location and the second connection location are spaced fromthe respective, proximate first and second coupled regions of therespective layers, and wherein at least one of the first connectionlocation and the second connection location is spaced from itsrespective, proximate first coupled region by a distance of about 1.0 mmto about 8.0 mm.
 30. The flexible panel of claim 23, wherein the secondside edge of the top layer of the multi-layered vane having the firstcoupled region is integral and formed of a same sheet of material as thesecond side edge of its respective bottom layer, the second side edgesforming a fold line by at least one of the group consisting of folding,perforating, creasing, compressing, heat-setting, and combinationsthereof.
 31. The flexible panel of claim 30, wherein the fold lineforming the second side edge of the top layer and the second side edgeof the bottom layer is substantially coincident with the secondconnection location on the front vertical support member.
 32. Theflexible panel of claim 30, wherein at least one of the first connectionlocation and the second connection location is spaced from itsrespective, proximate first coupled region and the other of the firstand second connection locations is spaced from the fold line.
 33. Theflexible panel of claim 23, wherein the first coupled region is adjacentto the front vertical support member and overlaps with the firstconnection location on the bottom layer.
 34. The flexible panel of claim23, wherein the multilayered vanes are independently formed by couplingat least one of the respective side edges of the top and bottom layersto form the first coupled region, and adhesively bonding themulti-layered vane to the front and rear vertical support members at thefirst and second connection locations.
 35. A flexible panel for a windowcovering having a height and a width, the flexible panel for adjustingthe amount of light that passes there through and comprising: a frontgeneral vertical support sheer having a height and width, the height andwidth of the front support sheer being substantially the same as theheight and width of the panel; a rear vertical support sheer having aheight and a width, the height and width of the rear support sheer beingsubstantially the same as the height and width of the panel, the rearvertical support sheer substantially parallel to the front verticalsupport sheer, and operably coupled and laterally moveable relative tothe front vertical support sheer; and a plurality of generallyhorizontal vanes having a length and having a width, at least a portionof the width of the vanes extending between the front and rear verticalsupport sheers, the length of the vanes being substantially the same asthe width of the front and rear vertical support sheers, the front andrear support sheers controlling the movement and angular orientation ofthe vanes; wherein the front support sheer is formed of polymer-basedthreads and has an openness factor in the range of about seventy-fivepercent (75%) to about ninety percent (90%), and the rear support sheeris formed of polymer-based threads and has an openness factor greaterthan the openness factor of the front vertical support sheer, and therear support sheer is a darker color than the front support sheer.
 36. Acovering for an architectural feature having a width and a height, thecovering for adjusting the amount of light that may pass there throughand comprising: a roller; and a flexible panel having a width, a top anda bottom end defining a height of the panel, the top end of the paneloperatively associated with the roller, the panel comprising: a frontgeneral vertical support sheer having a height and width; a rearvertical support sheer having a height and a width, the rear verticalsupport sheer substantially parallel to the front vertical supportsheer, and operably coupled and laterally moveable relative to the frontvertical support sheer; and a plurality of generally horizontal vanesextending between the front and rear vertical support sheers, the frontand rear support sheers controlling the movement and angular orientationof the vanes; wherein the front and rear support sheers both are formedof polymer-based threads and both have an openness factor in the rangeof about seventy-five percent (75%) to about ninety percent (90%), andat least one of the front and rear support sheers is a dark color.